You don't know what you have got
by Nuredhel
Summary: Melian has seen the future and it is grim, only one possible outcome brings a sliver of hope but to achieve that she has to convice two young and stubborn elves that they indeed to belong together. To do that she has to use some rather devious tricks, after all the goal does sanctify the means, even if they are less than kind... Romance. Galadriel and Celeborn. AU.
1. Things so precious

Chapter one: Things so precious

 _She was staring out into nothing, her stare blank and empty and if anyone had seen her they would have been shocked by her pained expression. But there was nobody in her chambers, only her husband slept peacefully by her side and she let her hand slide slowly through his long silky locks. She loved him so much, and she loved their people and their city too, with the fierce protectiveness of a she-wolf. She had protected their realm for millennia and yet it would come to an end, she saw that now. Nothing lasts forever and it would all be lost, everything would perish and become mere memories. She gasped and clutched her sheets in a desperate grip, almost in denial. She saw it all, how the oath would ruin it all, how her husband's pride would bring great grief. It was as if she heard others laugh, taunt her for having chosen to bond with a mere elf, she was a maia, she was so much more than these first born children of the one._

 _She had made her choice, to love and learn and with that she had also chosen the bitter agony of possible separation and loss. She had always known it would end, but the end had always been so far away, like a ghost of a dream once dreamt. Now she wasn't so sure anymore, it was creeping nearer all the time and she could not stop it. Not without losing it all in an even worse manner, she had seen so many possible outcomes and they all were horrible, the sons of Fëanor were relentless and ruthless and they would never give up, neither would Morgoth. So what could be done to ensure that their legacy lasted? That their names lived on?_

 _She closed her eyes, her breath slow and steady even after such a powerful vision and she forced herself to think. She had seen things she knew had to happen, but right now some things just didn't make sense. She smiled, a wry little grin, yes, she had seen them, and seen them bring at least some of the glory that was their realm with them to safety. Her husband would be very pleased if he knew that his relative would survive and live on. It was the one possible future which did bring at least a sliver of hope, the only one she could accept._

 _But he was as block headed and stubborn as his uncle, and way too chivalrous. She had to do something about it, speed things up. It would benefit them all in the end and she took a deep breath and made a decision. Yes, she knew what to do. Nothing is sweeter than the things you thought were lost to you and it would tell both of them the truth. If it didn't show those two silly elves where they did belong and with whom then nothing would._

 _She got out of the bed silently, walked over to her dresser and stared at the mirror on top of it. She hadn't changed at all on the outside but these elves had taught her so much about life and feelings and she was forever grateful. Perhaps it was time to do something active to ensure that at least some got away, yes! It would be dangerous for sure but he was strong, he would survive and perhaps learn a little humbleness too. It wouldn't hurt for sure, the young warrior was way too haughty. A little cold bath wouldn't be bad, it would shake him into reality and awaken him to the truth about his feelings regarding that lovely noldorin elleth. He tried to deny his interest but to a maia such things are impossible to hide. She closed her eyes for a second, a glow seemed to cover her for a few seconds and then it was done, her eyes glittered. This could be interesting indeed, yes, very interesting! This would be the ultimate test of his strength and devotion, of his will to do what was right._

He was tired, and he was angry with himself as he rode slowly along the familiar path. He had agreed upon taking some young soldiers to the borders of the realm and he had in reality done something stupid. They had to take a detour because of swollen rivers and it had turned out to be a very long journey and the soldiers had barely come of age and were inexperienced and not quite ready for this. Some shouldn't have left their mother's skirts yet, they were not ready to serve at all. He had been on his way for over a week, barely any sleep, just field rations to eat and way too much to do. But now he was heading back to the caves and the normally luxurious life he preferred.

He was humming softly as he rode, eyes half closed and his hands holding the reins in a gentle manner, he was looking forward to a night in a good bed and some decent food and wine, ah wine. He would get royally drunk while Mablung that poor soul was still out there trying to teach those morons what they needed to know to stay alive. Well, better Mablung than himself, that was for sure. The marchwarden had patience, Celeborn had owned little of that lately. Some said his mood had been relatively bad of late and they were right too, he was grumpy and impatient and his normal charm was sorely missed by many. He could deny it to the end of the world but a certain golden haired noldorin elleth was the cause for it, he had never felt thus about a female before and yet he didn't dare to approach her, not the way he wanted to. Oh he was polite and nice and showered her with attention but he couldn't tell her the truth, that he in fact was hopelessly in love with her and convinced that she was his one, that she would make him complete. And she was a noldo, that was rather bad. Thingol had almost banished her and everybody else of that tribe from the realm when he heard the truth of the exodus from Valinor and only his friendship with her grandfather had prevented Celeborn from losing her completely. He just had to convince his uncle and everyone else of her worthiness.

He sighed and let the mare he rode dictate the speed, the mare was his favorite and a very brave and fast horse he was fond of. She would find her way back home easily and he allowed himself to doze off. He could sleep in the saddle just as easily as any other warrior and there were no dangers here, he was inside of the girdle and safe. The mare trotted on, she knew her way and knew that the stable waited for her with fresh hay and oats. Rochiril knew her master was tired and she was a very smart animal who knew he wanted to get back home as fast as possible so she didn't stop to eat or anything. She knew her master hadn't managed to sleep for days due to the noise from those young elves, some had been snoring and others had been complaining about almost everything and to top it all off there had been some nasty thunderstorms. The summer heat was intense now and it had been bone dry for weeks but that had changed when the group left the caves, several showers of hot summer rain had drenched everything and everyone and even a horse can complain about the weather.

Celeborn suddenly awoke from a pleasant dream about a time when he had watched Artanis dance with some other maidens, Rochiril had stopped. He opened his eyes and blinked, what was this? She was usually very obedient and he gasped when he saw the cause of the abrupt stop, the air in front of them seemed to shimmer, it looked like the surface of a pond and he just had time to wonder what this was before the glittering surface sort of surged forth. He yelped and Rochiril neighed and he closed his eyes on sheer impulse and reached for his blades. There was a feeling of falling and then a burst of ice cold wind almost knocked the air out of his lungs and he opened his eyes with a frightened yell. What he saw almost made him pass out from sheer shock, they had gone from summer to winter in a few seconds. The ground around them was covered with snow, more than three feet of it and it was dark and terribly cold. Then he noticed that this wasn't the forest he knew at all, the trees were not as large and they were some sort of pine and firs. He gasped for air, turned around, there was nothing behind them, just more snow and deep darkness. What had happened?!

Rochiril neighed and stomped, the snow reached her belly and she shook herself, the cold was seeping into her body and Celeborn felt it too. He wore only a thin tunic and a pair of loose pants and he didn't even have a decent cloak, just a thin flimsy thing. Artanis had told them all of the Helcaraxe, of the terrible cold which had killed even elves and he tried to get a grip and think in a logical manner. There had to be something he could do? He had no idea of where he was and everything looked very alien to him, he didn't recognize the species of trees nor the constellations up above. The stars weren't as shiny as those he was used to and before he really could control himself he let out a whimper and felt terribly lost and alone. Think! He was a noble of Doriath, a skilled warrior, there had to be some sort of shelter to be found somewhere, he couldn't just give up. He urged the mare forward and found that the landscape was tilting downwards, good, that could perhaps lead them to a lower region, where there could be shelter or even people. He was shivering already and he was sure he heard trees crack from the intense cold.

The mare pushed her way through the deep snow and it went forth slowly, the forest was not very dense but very diverse and he did see tracks which had to have been made from some sort of large deer. This place did contain life then, not just trees and he tried to remain optimistic but he was scared to the bone. What had happened? Where was he? Was this some mischief of Morgoth? Then he did encounter something odd, a long line of tall poles and between them some sort of string hung, he had never seen anything like it and he thought he could hear a faint humming sound from them. What was this? But the line was heading down the hills and now he saw some sort of light upon the horizon too, it was very bright though and he frowned and didn't understand. What could make such strong light? A city? Even a large city wouldn't cause such strong light, a huge fire? It wasn't flickering and he saw no smoke.

They rode around a cliff and then he stared down at a huge flat area, and at the end of it there was a myriad of strong lights, as if the stars themselves had landed upon the land and he stared in awe and confusion. Glowing lines of light was leading towards the gathering of lights and he saw several smaller clusters too around the great one. It was a city but what manner of lighting was this? There had to be people living in this place, but what sort of people? The horse had started to shiver too now and he felt frozen to the core. Eru it was so cold! Elves are supposed to be immune to the cold but this was just too much even for a firstborn. The mare walked on, she was strong and stubborn and suddenly they reached some sort of road but it wasn't like any road Celeborn had seen before. It was cleared of the snow but in the middle there were two metal pieces which seemed to stretch out for the entire length of the open area with a fixed distance between them.

There were such naked poles there too, and lines hanging over the odd metal rails and he had no idea of what this was supposed to be. He could only compare it with what he had heard of the naugrim and their contraptions. They said the sons of stone used some sort of carts attached to rails to transport ore and metal from the mines and perhaps this was something similar. But the road or whatever it was could be ridden on and he urged the mare forth, it had to lead somewhere. The path was leading down the hill in a very smooth descent and he saw that there were more of those lights now, the entire valley seemed to be filled with them and he realized that the lights were houses, homes. There had to be a huge group of people living there. But even the closest seemed to be far away and he started to fear for his horse.

He tried to keep his mind occupied, there were roads and homes and a city and maybe he could find help if these people weren't hostile? He could only hope they weren't orcs, then he would stand no chance. That thought made his throat close up and tears swell in his eyes, no, he couldn't give up. He had to see them all again, and her in special. If he got back alive he would most certainly tell her the truth of his feelings. Then she would be the judge of his fate, if she rejected him he would fade for sure. He was deep within his own thoughts when the mare whinnied and he heard a distant sound. It was getting stronger fast and the metal railings made an odd sound. Celeborn didn't know what to do, what this was. Suddenly a strong light appeared ahead of them and it brought with it a terrible noise and it moved so fast, faster than anything he had ever seen. He froze, terrified. What sort of creature of Morgoth was this? The sound was deafening and they were in its way! Rochiril let out a thin wailing sound and shivered and Celeborn just stared, wide eyed at the terrible bright light. Then they heard a shrieking sound and Rochiril snapped out of her trance, the mare jumped to the side and into the snow and the thunder reached a level that made Celeborn's ears ache and the ground shook and something enormous rushed by them, lights slid over them at a horrible speed and he clung to the saddle and felt that he had pissed himself like a terrified elfling. The thing seemed to be extremely long and the noise was making him press his hands against his ears in agony. What sort of horror was this?!

Then suddenly it ended and the end of the thing disappeared behind another turn and Celeborn was about to take a breath of relief when Rochiril broke out into a gallop. The mare was terrified and in spite of her good training her instincts overtook her and she ran in blind panic. She had the bit between her teeth, Celeborn could only cling to the saddle as the horse ran through the thick snow, gasping. He tried to stop her, afraid she would run herself to death but the brave mare had experienced something she just couldn't handle and her instinct was to flee. The wind tore at the elf on her back and he tried to talk to the animal to calm her but to no prevail, the mare ran for what seemed like an eternity and luckily she ran downhill, towards the lights. They reached a flat area, a clearing in the woods and Rochiril shot out into the open land like an arrow from a strong bow. She was running as fast as she could now and Celeborn let out a shout when he spotted a dark line in the snow ahead, it appeared to be steaming? Oh Eru no, it was an open river! He tried to pull the horse to the side but she didn't respond, she just ran and suddenly the ground gave way under her hooves and the mare screamed. A horrible high pitched sound of which Celeborn never had heard the like, it was just horrible.

Ice cold water splashed up around the kicking mare and Celeborn gasped as he too was submerged in it, it was not a river but a lake, hidden by ice and the open area had to be a spot where strong currents prevented the ice from forming even in this cold. For a terrifying second he lost his sense of up and down but then he reached air again and gasped for it, it stung his lungs like thousands of ice needles and he coughed and tried to cling onto the edge of the ice. The mare was rolling her eyes, she did reach bottom but only barely and he knew she would drown if he didn't get her up right away. The ice wasn't that thick there, just an inch or so and he felt that the water on his body froze almost immediately, his hands felt stiff and numb already and he felt dizzy. The shock had been just too much.

He forced himself to act, he reached for his saddle and luckily his axe still hung on it, it hadn't fallen off. He started hacking away at the ice, towards what had to be the shore. The mare was getting weaker by the minute, she had been warm from her running and the cold water had drained her of strength fast. He tried to talk to her, to encourage her as he hacked and fought the cold water and the freezing wind with all his determination. Luckily the current weren't that strong, it didn't drag them under. The ice got thicker but the axe was a good one and desperation drove him, he did manage to get through it with some good whacks and made a path for the mare. The bottom of the lake was mud and silt and slick plants and he stumbled and cursed and dragged the horse behind him. The mare could barely stand, her legs were shivering and she was gasping for air. Steam rose from the body and he knew she would freeze to death soon, and so would he. It was not the way he had imagined that he would go, if he ever was to die he had thought he would die in battle, fighting orcs.

He supported the mare, waddling through the snow and it reached his waist, oh Eru it was so cold, so cold! He was shivering uncontrollably by now and so was the horse and there had to be shelter somewhere, if not they were doomed. He found a way between the trees, and he started to feel drowsy, that was a very bad sign indeed. Artanis had told them how elves who froze to death had felt warm before their final moments and he tried to do something to stay alert, and awake. He had to think of Rochiril, he had to save her to save himself and he felt like a beast but forced the poor animal forth. She was wobbling and her eyes told him she was close to giving up. If she fell he wouldn't be able to get her back onto her feet, no way. He whimpered prayers, tried to sing, forced himself to stay active. He was no longer feeling the cold, but he was stiff, and slow and everything hurt even if he was numb. The snow did look very soft and inviting, no! He couldn't think like that, resting now was death!

Then a new road appeared in front of him and this was without the rails, and there were hoofprints in the snow, of shoed horses. Up ahead he was sure he could see lights and he grasped the mare by the halter and pulled her along, gasping. "See? There is light, and horses have been here, a little more my girl, just a little more!"

The road was well maintained and smooth and there was some sort of wheel tracks with odd patterns in them and many hoof prints too. He kept his eyes fixed on the light ahead, it was one of those unnatural bright ones but he had to get there, it was hope, the only hope he had left. He waddled on for what seemed like an eternity, then the forest opened up and revealed some buildings built around an open square and several paddocks and some odd looking things which had to be vehicles of some sort. The light came from a sort of glowing orb attached to the wall of one of the largest buildings and the light was so strong, how could it be made? Was this some sort of magic? It had to be, for there was no heat coming from it and he had never seen anything like it at all. He whimpered, the buildings were not like any he had seen before, with huge windows and odd colors and there was no light in any of them. But the hoof tracks did disappear into the huge building with the light on it and he could smell horse. It had to be a stable. He forced Rochiril forward, the mare was groaning and she was leaning onto him, barely able to stay upright. The tracks disappeared through what had to be a door of some sorts but he didn't understand how he opened it until he gave it a shove and it slid to the side. It didn't make much sound and immediately a light came on and bathed the room in cold brightness that made him shield his eyes.

He blinked and stared, it was a stable but not like any he had seen before, first of all the room was painted in a very bright pale ochre color and it was so clean, and the design was alien too. Four horses stood in separate rooms along a central corridor and he had to stare at them, he had never seen horses like these. Three of them were dun, stocky and short legged with an upright mane and a black stripe running through that and along their backs and tails. It had to be a sort of breed special for this place. The fourth horse was in a room on the opposite side of the corridor and it was the most gorgeous beast he had ever seen, extremely tall with long legs and a flowing mane and it was pitch black. It was a stallion for sure and it looked at Rochiril with interest. There was an unoccupied room there and he sort of slid the door shut behind him and managed to open the box door, it too slid sideways and it was an ingenious way of saving space. The floor of the room was filled with a layer of sawdust and it was rather warm in this stable, he could feel it. He was trembling all over but managed to get the saddle of Rochiril, then he removed the halter and the bit and the mare sort of moaned and he knew he had to get the heat back into her somehow. He wondered at the light which had come on when he entered the room but he didn't bother with it, what mattered was to save the mare.

He saw that there was a lot of hay stored in the neighbor room and also some weird sacks which seemed to contain oats and there was water in some barrels under a sort of sink? It was made from a shiny metal and there was some sort of contraption above it and it was dripping water from it? He touched it, hesitantly. There seemed to be some sort of things which were meant to be turned around? He tried and water started to flow from the metal tube into the sink. It was ingenious. He tried the other one and even more water came pouring and this was hot. Oh Eru, hot water! He grasped a piece of cloth which lay in a bucket near by and drenched it with hot water, then he ran over and started rubbing the shivering mare with it. He even filled a bucket with the hot water and poured it over her and the water disappeared into the floor somehow, there had to be a sort of drainage system hidden in the floors. He continued pouring and rubbing until all the frozen mud was gone and the mare steamed yet again, she was getting warm. He found some oats in a container and got some of it into one of the strange buckets before adding water and hay and then he found flour too in a barrel and added some of it, making a sort of slurry for her to eat.

The mare didn't want it at first, then she sort of gave in and started eating and he could have wept with relief. She would be okay, if she didn't get pneumonia that was. Now he started to feel his own discomfort again, he was aching all over and he was so tired, and so cold. There were horse blankets hanging on one of the walls and he threw one over Rochiril. He had no idea of what it was made from but it was obviously very warm and fitted the mare well even if it was a bit small. He took the saddle and the saddle blanket and the halter and hung it from a rack seemed to be made for saddles and he just hoped that the owners of this place didn't mind. He was shivering still and realized that he had to get rid of the wet clothes. They were dripping with stinking muddy water and he stripped down to his bare skin and hung the clothes up next to his saddle. Then he took another blanket and wrapped that around himself. He rubbed his arms and legs with hot water and wondered how anyone could have so much warm water and where it came from and how it was heated up? He needed to rest, to recover his strength. He put his blades and axe into the room next to where the mare was and looked for a place to lay down. There was a sort of staircase leading up to a loft and he opened the hatch curiously. It was a hay loft, filled with bales of hay and also some loose hay in a huge pile. It smelled of summer and it was relatively warm too. The heat from the animals down below did rise and he made a decision there and then. He climbed up into the hayloft wearing only the blanket and sort of dug himself into the hay. He would heat up again, rest a little and then he would be out of there before the morning came, hopefully able to find a way back home.

He closed his eyes, the pain was still bad as his limbs started to thaw but he had survived pain before and his fatigue sort of overwhelmed him. He didn't want to sleep but his body was too weak to fight it and before long he was asleep, hoping he would be able to see Artanis again, if only once. Under the blanket and the thick layer of hay his body temperature did rise but slowly, very slowly and he hadn't really noticed how weakened he had become. Even the strength of the eldar has a limit and his had been reached that night, and broken. His body was starting to shut down, just his own bodyheat would not be enough to save him.

She woke up with a start, staring into the wall, not really sure what had awakened her. She blinked, took a look at the clock next to the bed. 3:15 in the morning, wonderful! Just what she needed, another sleepless night. She yawned and then she did notice the odd light on the wall next to the bed, light that wasn't supposed to be there. She was out of the bed within the blink of an eye, peeked out through the curtains. The lights in the stable were on, but she had made sure they were off when she left after having given the horses their last meal of the day. She did have an automatic light switch though, if the door was opened it would come on and this could only mean that there was someone in the stable. Shit! There had been some cases of theft in this area the last months, people driving around in old vans, stealing anything of value and tack and saddles were expensive. A neighbor had lost a very expensive western saddle and she was afraid that this was thieves.

She grasped the cell phone from the table, staring out at the yard. There was no cars to be seen but the door had to have been opened. She dialed her brother's number, he lived a few miles down the road and she knew she could call him anytime. His farm was much larger than this little place and he was a dairy farmer and used to getting up early in the morning. She had to wait for a few minutes before she heard her brother's voice in the other end, he was yawning "Yes?"

She tried to remain calm, but she was worried about the horses, there were perverts who liked to harm animals and she didn't want anything to happen to her darlings. "Vidar, it is me, Johanna. There is somebody in the stable"

His voice suddenly got sharp. "You are sure?"

She swallowed. "Yes, the lights are on. But I see no car though"

She could hear him move. "Alright, I will come in five, and I will park the tractor across the road just in case. Do not enter until I get there, do you understand?"

She felt her voice shiver ever so slightly. "Yes"

He answered and hung up. "Great"

She started getting dressed, got on her warmest clothes and then a thermosuit op top of it, and gloves and a thick cap too. It was minus twenty five degrees centigrade outside and that was just normal in January. She was pulling her boots on when her daughter appeared in the doorway. "Mom? What is going on?"

She sort of hushed at the girl. "I think someone is in the stable, you stay here okay, just in case"

Kirsten suddenly looked a bit nervous and Johanna knew she would obey the order, she was a very smart girl and very mature for her age. She opened the front door, peeked outside. No wheel tracks, no car in sight. Could it be an electrical problem? But Vidar was coming and he would sort it out for sure. She felt her heart race though, she had heard a lot of horror stories of people breaking into stables and barns, torturing the animals or even stealing them. But you couldn't sell a horse to slaughter anymore without the proper papers and those were locked away safely in her safe, still some people, foreigners in special, didn't know of the strict rules made by the authorities. Vidar probably parked his huge John Deere tractor across the road to block it if anyone had hidden a car somewhere, there was just one way out of this system of backroads with many small side roads and the owners often had the snow removed from them since they lead to cabins which were used in the weekends. There were some local farmers who made good money doing that job.

Before long she saw the lights from a car in the distance and Vidar turned off the engine and just let the car roll the last hundred meters, he parked so he blocked the entrance to the yard and he had chosen the huge pickup, you couldn't push that car out of the road unless your last name was superman. For the moment the flatbed was filled with two round bales of ensilage and they weighed at least a ton each. Vidar stepped out of the car, he was a huge guy, standing 6 foot 4 and he did look like he was trying to get a role in the tv show Vikings since he had a huge beard and if you put some old fashioned clothing onto him he would look just right. Right now he wore a worn leather jacket and he had brought his shot gun too. Johanna knew it probably wasn't loaded but the mere sight ought to make any criminal think twice before he started any sort of trouble. Vidar nodded at her. " I have the sheriffs private phone number on my cell, and I know he is at home tonight, there is a small party being thrown at the local pub and he wants to keep an eye on certain individuals."

Johanna knew there were a couple of kids in the area who were a bit difficult and loved to cause disturbances of every kind, the sheriff had often said he would have put them over his knee and given them a proper spanking if that had been legal. Johanna walked towards the stable with silent steps, Vidar was right behind her and she nodded slowly, the door had been opened. The snow which had blown up against it had been pushed aside but the odd thing was that there were hoof tracks outside of the door and some sort of boot prints too. And brown spots in the snow too, like some sort of dirty liquid had been spilled onto the ground. Vidar bent down and picket up some of it, sniffed it. "This is frozen bog water? What the hell?!"

Johanna got a sinking feeling in her gut, maybe this wasn't what they first believed it to be. Everybody knew of this farm and its huge stable and if someone had had an accident this would be the natural place to go to. There were several bogs and ponds in the area and some were hidden by the snow, but who would ride out into the woods now in this cold? There were several girls on the nearby farms and in the city nearby who loved to go riding out in the moonlight, following the many open roads but it was just too cold for that now and no moon? But if someone were stupid enough to do go for a ride and the horse got spooked?

She had been riding out on Wotan once and the equipage had suddenly stood face to face with a very huge bull moose, the stallion had just spun around and ran off and Johanna hadn't been able to stop him until they almost reached the main road. She had never been that scared before. She slowly opened the door, made sure it didn't make much noise and thanked her own devotion to oiling it, she did that at least twice a week or else it would make a shrieking sound that made the horses go haywire. The three fjords raised their heads and neighed with perked ears, what was this? Extra snack? Wotan pawed at the ground and the stallion snorted and swung his head up and down, she whispered to him to prevent him from whinnying. Then she saw it, the box which was number three in the row, one box away from Wotan was taken. A tall dark grey mare stood in it, covered with a blanket and looked miserable.

Johanna swore, had someone abandoned their horse there? Vidar stepped forth and he looked a bit worried. "This is no old nag, look at her. I have never seen such lines before, this is some sort of thoroughbred for sure, she is probably a horse in the one hundred grand class or even more"

Johanna agreed, the mare was gorgeous and someone had tried to take care of her for sure. The sawdust was wet and it was obvious that the owner had tried to wash her, but why hadn't they used the washroom? There was a huge special made shower stall at the back of the stable with heating lamps and even a massage shower for sore horses. Johanna wanted to create a spa for horses and she wanted to install a swimming pool too but that would have to wait until she could afford it. She saw that the person had taken a horse blanket but it wasn't one of the very warm ones, he or she had just grasped the first and the best one. Vidar sniffed. "She has been in the pond, I am dead sure. I can recognize that smell anytime, it stinks!"

Johanna nodded. " I agree, well done getting her this far, the poor thing must have been close to collapsing with fatigue and cold."

Vidar opened the box door and the mare didn't respond, she just stood there with her head hanging low and she was shivering a bit. " I will put her under the heating lamps, help me out"

Johanna nodded and found a halter, the mare accepted it and darn she was tall, at least eighteen hands. Johanna was just a little over 5 foot 4 and she struggled but the mare didn't resist at all. Vidar looked at the bucket which stood on the ground. "Whoever got her here have given her some porridge but she needs something stronger, way stronger."

Johanna wondered where the owner was, could it be that some kid had borrowed this beauty, had an accident and been too afraid to wake up her or Kirsten and run off to avoid being caught? Or was the person perhaps out there somewhere, trying to get cell phone reception? This area was infamous for its bad conditions unless you used a special phone company which had erected some extra transponder masts. Vidar supported the mare out of the door and she wobbled and moaned but moved, she had to be horribly sore and Johanna helped him getting the animal into the washing box. They removed the blanket and tied her up and then Vidar put on the water on full force, 45 degrees Centigrade and the heating lamps on full force too. It ought to bring some heat back into her bones. The mare closed her eyes and sighed, it had to feel divine. The shower was made from two lengths of pipe with several shower heads placed one after the other and it was the length of a horse's body and aimed downwards at an angle and you could move them independently of each other.

Now Vidar set the showers to stay above the mare and a little from the side and he went to the small office in the corner behind the tack room and put on the coffee maker. He was brewing a very strong coffee and Johanna knew he was following their father's advice. He had often used a local trick when some horse needed to be re-heated and had used it with success on several horses and some cows too. You took a bucket and put a coin at the bottom, then you filled it with strong coffee until you couldn't see the coin and added moonshine until you could see the coin once more, they called it "coffee doctor".

Johanna just hope that there weren't more people out there, perhaps the one bringing the mare into her stable had returned to help someone else and were out there, freezing to death? The night temperature had dropped below thirty for a few nights now and being outside wet and cold was a death sentence. Then she started clearing away the wet sawdust and then she saw the unfamiliar saddle on the rack. She frowned, the saddle looked like the ones she had seen at renaissance fairs and it was very well made but dripping with water and it looked rather ruined. A halter with a bit hung there too and some sort of rags? She stepped forth and touched the saddle. The thing had to have been handmade and it was exquisite, the embroideries on the sides just gorgeous and it was made from very fine leather and some sort of thick solid velvet. The thing was worn, had to have been used a lot and the stirrups were not bought in any shop, they had to have been forged by a very skilled blacksmith. Vidar returned from the office with several liters of the strong concoction and mixed it with molasses and glucose and some crushed dried herbs too. He put a hose down the mare's throat and made her swallow the entire bucket. She coughed and rolled her eyes but was too weak to put up a fight and he petted her head lovingly. "There gorgeous, this will do you good"

Johanna gestured. "Vidar, take a look at this?"

He came over and stared at the saddle, his jaw almost dropped. "Oh heck, I haven't seen something like that. And that bit? It is all handmade?"

Johanna touched the wet rags and it was a pair of thin linen pants and a sort of tunic with nice embroideries and what had to be a sort of loincloth. A set of very wet boots stood on the floor underneath it and everything looked medieval. Vidar frowned and touched the fabric with a strange expression on his face. "This method of weaving linen haven't been used for centuries, it is too time consuming but the result is of course very nice. What is this?"

The clothes were most certainly summer clothing and she found a sort of cloak hanging at the back of the box too. She shrugged. "I have no idea, maybe someone have been having a sort of live role play out in the woods?"

Vidar snorted. "Well, then they are mad, and these clothes cannot keep anyone warm, heck, even my summer clothes are warmer than these."

Johanna nodded slowly. "But there has to be someone here who have brought that poor thing in here? If that person wore only that then…"

Vidar shook his head. "You wouldn't survive for ten minutes outside wearing only that, not even if it is dry! It is too cold, and the wind adds so much more cold to the air I bet it is below fifty in the gusts."

Johanna touched the pants, they were rather long and told her that the person who had been wearing them had to be a male and very tall too. "But if that someone wore more than this then where is he?"

Vidar made a grimace. "He has to be here somewhere, there were no foot prints leaving the stable. "

Johanna looked up, the hatch to the hay loft was ajar. She nodded. "Up there Vidar"

Her brother swore and walked over to the ladder, climbed up and lifted the hatch, took a look around and seemed to freeze. "Johanna, get up here!"

She hurried up and climbed through the opening next to him. The huge pile of hay had an inhabitant. In the middle she could see the upper torso of someone sticking out from the hay, covered with yet another blanket. The person lay with his back towards them and appeared to have very long silvery blonde hair. Vidar swore and got over to the person in a flash, grasped him by the shoulder and turned him over. Johanna gasped, had an angel descended from heaven? She had never seen a more beautiful man before and Vidar just blinked. The guy was obviously naked and much taller than even him, the face looked very young and Johanna saw that he was blue around the lips and eyes and was he breathing at all?

Vidar had worked as a paramedic for a while and he felt the guys pulse and swore so bad Johanna was afraid the hay would catch fire. "This guy is in serious trouble, I don't like that heart beat at all. He has got severe hypothermia"

Johanna swallowed. "But he is alive?"

Vidar nodded. "For now yes, darn, help me unwrap him, I need to check for injuries before I call for an ambulance"

Johanna blushed but hurried, they removed the hay and the blanket and Vidar just stared at the naked man. Johanna knew that no supermodel nor moviestar would look that perfect, he was flawless, and very muscular too. This was a body used to being used properly, not only trained in a gym. The hair was very long indeed, it had to reach his hips and Vidar knelt down and pulled it back to feel the man's jugular again, he froze again and Johanna saw why. The man had pointy ears. Vidar touched the ear gently, it didn't come off and it was rather cold like the rest of him. Johanna could only stare. " What the hell?"

Vidar swallowed hard, his eyes were distant. "Johanna, I don't think he is human"

She just stood there, like in a trance. "What? Why?"

Vidar turned his head, stared at her. "He should have been dead, heck, he should have frozen to death just minutes after getting into the water or the bog or wherever they were. And look at the ears! And the saddle, and the odd clothing, he isn't from around here sister"

Johanna just had to blink, she felt a bit hysterical. "Are you trying to tell me that he is an alien?"

Vidar rolled his eyes. "He has to have come from somewhere and that is not this place for sure, perhaps he has travelled through time, or come from another dimension or something but that matters not. We cannot call an ambulance, they will treat him like a guinea pig for sure"

Johanna understood, if he had survived a cold bath now he was tougher than a human for sure, many would want to know what made him so strong. She bit her lower lip. "So what do we do?"

Vidar grasped onto the man by the shoulders. "We have to get him back inside the house, find the wheel barrel and some extra blankets, and run inside and ask Kirsten to start pouring a hot bath, we need to reheat him. He is in serious trouble whatever or whoever he is"

Johanna did skid down the ladder and found the huge flat wheel barrel and some blankets. Then she ran inside and Kirsten sat by the kitchen table, she looked very confused. "Mom, what is going on?"

Johanna tried to smile. "Listen, someone has been riding in the woods and have gone through the ice, there is a very cold unconscious man in the stable and we need to heat him back up again, go to the guest bathroom and start filling the bathtub with hot water"

Kirsten gasped and ran off and Johanna ran back to the stable. Vidar had put the mare back into the box, she looked a lot better and he had put a heating blanket onto her and turned it on full. Johanna helped Vidar pull the man down the ladder, he was so long and very heavy and she was blushing like mad the whole time. There was no doubt about the gender of this person and he was no doubt blessed in many ways. But he did look angelic and she wondered what he was, she had never heard of people with pointy ears.

They got him onto the barrel and covered him with blankets and then they pulled him to the house, running to avoid him getting even colder. Vidar grasped the upper torso and Johanna the legs and they sort of manhandled the poor person in through the door and into the house. They carried him down the corridor and into the huge guest room at the back of the first floor, it had its own bathroom and Kirsten waited by the tub. She had done what Johanna had said and the tub was half full already. Vidar pulled the blankets off the man and Kirsten let out a shriek and then she giggled hysterical. Johanna felt a bit guilty but Vidar just rolled his eyes. "She is sixteen, I bet she has seen naked men before, if not it is about time"

Kirsten giggled even more and Johanna grasped a towel and covered the man's midsection, just to protect his modesty. She didn't want to give her daughter ideas or false expectations, few males were that well shaped. Vidar hauled the man into the tub and the long hair looked like a halo around his head as he was put into a stabile position where he couldn't slide down and drown. Kirsten stared at him, her eyes got wide. "Mom? What the heck is an elf doing on our farm?"

Johanna frowned and Vidar raised an eyebrow. "Elf?"

Kirsten made a gesture. " Yeah? Are you daft? Have you never read fantasy books? Have you never played WOW? Hello? Pointy ears? Gorgeous? Tall? He is an elf"

Vidar and Johanna just stared at each other, at least they now knew what their mysterious guest was, at least that was something.


	2. Until the breaking of the world

Chapter two: Until the breaking of the world…..

The small group of elves which arrived at the main gate did look like cats who had been thrown into a lake, they were soaking wet and miserable. Mablung stared at the gates with relief, having been out there with these youngsters for that long was a task he didn't wish to repeat anytime soon. They were way too unprepared to be good fighters. He threw his cloak off his shoulders and tried to shake the excess water out of his hair, he saw one of the guards near by and smiled. He had longed to get back home for way too long now. The guard bowed his head and smiled politely and the tall marchwarden tilted his head. "Say, do you happen to know where Celeborn is? I wish to speak to him"

The guard frowned. "Celeborn? Isn't he with you?"

Mablung froze. "No? He left for home a week ago?"

The guard sort of shrank. "If so I haven't seen him, but then again, I don't venture into the city that often"

Mablung felt that his heart suddenly started to beat a little faster, hadn't Celeborn gotten back home? Maglung just threw a swift glance at the recruits, they would be fine, he ran off towards the throne room. He passed by a lot of elves he knew but he didn't stop to greet any of them, all he could think about was the fact that his friend seemed to have gone missing. He didn't slow down until he reached the throne room, Thingol was chatting with some of his closest advisors and Melian sat beside him and looked very bored. Mablung swallowed, he was about to deliver very bad news indeed, if what he had heard was true.

Thingol got aware of him and smiled, turning his head. "Mablung, how good to see you, how were the borders?"

The march warden bowed politely. "Wet my lord, very wet"

Thingol frowned. "You look distressed, is something wrong?"

Mablung nodded. "Is Celeborn here? He left us a week ago, heading back home"

Thingol got pale, visibly pale and his eyes got wider. "No? He haven't been seen since he left with the recruits? Oh Eru!"

The king got up. "He wouldn't have crossed the borders alone, no matter how foolish he may be at times. He has to be somewhere within the girdle. "

Mablung was still breathing a bit too fast and he felt a wave of worry rush through him. The girdle held all sorts of dark creatures out, but it didn't stop things like bears or other natural beings and accidents do happen, even to elves as strong and smart as the young lord. Melian got up too, her eyes revealed a great deal of nervousness. "Go get some rest friend, we will arrange for a search patrol, right now"

Mablung felt an urge to volunteer but he fought it, he knew he would be of no good now, too tired and too confused. Thingol started shouting orders and Mablung ran off towards his own room, he would bathe and eat and rest and if his friend wasn't found by the time he woke up he would go out there for sure.

Thingol ran after some of the soldiers and Melian grasped onto him, she was looking a bit stern. "You stay here, we cannot afford to put even more of this family in jeopardy. You have to stay and organize the search"

He squirmed. "I am his uncle damn it, it is my duty to look after him, I swore I would!"

Melian smiled and caressed his cheek. " I know you did dear, but listen to me, your warriors are good at this, they will find him, worry not"

Thingol sighed and his eyes were distant. "I know, but I feel sick with worry love, his horse haven't showed up either and I start to feel that something very serious may have occurred."

She leaned her head against his chest, lovingly. "I know, but I am sure he is fine, I am sure he will return to us unharmed"

Thingol caressed her long black tresses. " I wish I could have your confidence love, I feel as if there is something I am missing here"

She smiled slowly. "Go and give the orders now, and then return to me. The hour is late"

He nodded and freed himself, walked off and she stood there staring at him. Her heart ached but she knew she had acted the right way, now she just had to monitor the reactions of that tall golden haired elleth. If she did react the way Melian expected this could be brought forward, and things would go as planned. She just prayed that they would.

The palace had its own sort of song, a distant buzz of voices, the sound of waterfalls, feet against the rock and the sand, sometimes birdsong and the calls of different animals. She had gotten used to it all and she didn't really pay attention anymore but now she did, she heard running feet and saw that some warriors were scooting by, looking slightly distressed. She sat in a small garden outside of the residence of one of her friends, a very nice sinda elleth who had greeted the noldor princess with a very open and friendly attitude and that hadn't changed, even after they were told the truth of the noldor coming to Endor.

Aendis frowned and leaned a bit forth, stared down the corridor where the warriors had disappeared. "Oh my, looks like something is happening? What could that be?"

Artanis shook her head and put her cup down, she felt a tingle of something akin to nervous energy rush through her. The warriors rarely ran whilst inside of the caves? It had to be serious whatever it was but they didn't try to warn the inhabitants or anything so maybe it wasn't all that important after all. She smiled at her friend. "I am sure it is just a small thing, nothing serious at all. Maybe someone has seen some orcs too close to the girdle or something"

Aendis smiled back. "Sure, so, what are your plans for the day?"

Artanis felt an urge to giggle. "Oh, I am going to pick up that new dress, the one I have been talking about?"

Aendis grinned. "The one you told me you were afraid to wear yes? How exciting!"

Artanis nodded. The dress was gorgeous and made in a thin purple fabric and it did bring out her shapes in a very revealing manner without being to risqué. Before she would never even have dreamed of wearing something like that but this place had started to show her that she ought to go her own ways and follow her heart more than before and so she did. It would certainly cause some reactions but why not? She hadn't gotten herself anything new for many long years and she hardly ever spent any money so just for once she wanted to spoil herself. She had struggled to become accepted there and still many did regard her with a great deal of suspicion. If she made herself too visible many thought it was wrong, and if she stayed in the background that too became a bit suspicious. She just had to follow her own heart and head and Melian seemed to support her too. That gave her some confidence, and she just hoped that staying there would provide her with the possibility to make a life for herself, something different from what everybody expected.

Aendis giggled. "Some will say that a new dress just shows how vain you noldor are"

Artanis sort of grimaced. "Oh but they will claim that I am that way no matter what I wear so I have stopped listening to them."

Aendis leaned her head on her hands. "So, heard anything from your brother lately? I have heard rumors claiming that he is planning on finding you a husband"

The tall noldorin female cringed. "Oh I have heard those too, but they hold no truth, I promise I won't marry someone I don't love. I have seen that happen and the result is not pretty"

Aendis shrugged. "Here nobody would do that, it is not in our nature"

Artanis nodded sternly. "You have not had the valar placing laws upon you, laws made only to hold you down."

Aendis made wry grin. "I am glad I am of this land and not the blessed realm, it sounds like a terribly boring place to be"

Artanis scoffed. "It is a lot of things, but boring? Not if you start looking behind the facades."

She remembered the powerplay and the conflicts hidden beneath the shiny surface of this perfect society. It had sometimes reminded her of worms feeding off a carcass. She had left just to remain sane, to avoid an existence confined by a society which saw her role as something determined by birth. Here she did at least have the chance of making a name for herself as something else than a pretty thing belonging to a husband.

The warriors didn't return and some other elves came walking by, they looked a bit shocked or rather nervous and Aendis recognized one and gestured towards the young ellon. He was the son of Aendis niece and a very sweet person. Artanis really liked Barador and he was also one of those who never held the deeds of the noldor against her. "Barador, what is going on?"

The young ellon stopped and walked over to the two ellith, he bowed his head politely. "March warden Mablung just returned with the recruits and apparently Celeborn left them a week ago but he haven't returned here yet, they think he is missing"

Artanis felt as if she suddenly had fallen, like the ground underneath her had gone. Celeborn missing? But…She took a deep breath, managed to stay calm and keep her face from revealing her shock. Aendis gasped. "What? Oh no, I bet the king is beside himself then. What have happened do you think?"

Barador shrugged. "Nobody knows, it could of course be that his horse has gotten lame and that he is somewhere out there waiting for it to heal but that is odd. The warriors are out looking for him now. He has to be inside of the girdle, Melian would have sensed it if he was outside of it."

Artanis held her breath, tried to look a bit concerned but not too much. "What a horrible loss for Doriath if he is gone, he is … so important to many"

Aendis cocked her head, her dark eyes were glittering. "Oh? Do I sense a special importance perhaps?"

Artanis managed to scoff. "Not at all, he is only an acquaintance, nothing more. Yes, I do admire his courage and good heart but that is all it is, he is way too haughty for me"

Aendis lifted an eyebrow. " Oh yes, way too haughty"

Artanis fought the urge to blush desperately, but she felt her heart ache in her chest all of a sudden. She was afraid, that was the truth. Suddenly she felt as if she couldn't breathe and she got up, very abruptly and the tall roof of the cave felt as if it was sinking, crushing her. She managed to smile, a pale and swift smile. " I have to go, there is something I have forgotten, something I must do!"

Aendis sort of frowned and Barador looked puzzled and she turned around and walked off, swiftly with stiff moves. She felt a need to bite into her hand to stop herself from letting out a small cry of sheer denial. He couldn't be gone, he simply couldn't! There was nobody .like him, nobody who saw her the way he did. He never cowered before her, neither did he regard her as something less than an ellon. He did never patronize, never take her for granted and yet he did challenge her every day, forced her to think in new and different ways and she knew that she had developed a lot since she had arrived and it was all because of him. Oh she had hated him to begin with, his arrogance and the fact that he didn't treat her like royalty at all. Then slowly she started to appreciate it, he offered her the freedom she had hungered for, and she appreciated that he treated her like just anyone else.

She had looked down at the elves of this realm at first, they were moriquendi and she had sort of been taught to regard them as less than her kin. Now she knew that these elves were the strong ones, the ones who had learned how to live. She was mesmerized by their appreciation of life and the joy they showed her, and also their determination to fight for what was theirs. She started to wonder if the first kings really had done their tribes a bad favor by leading them over to Aman.

The war against the dark lord was of course terrible and cost countless lives but at least those elves weren't ruled or controlled by someone else than themselves. Her uncle had been right when he claimed that the Valar saw them as nothing but pretty trinkets to play with, useful servants and students but not someone who ought to rule themselves.

She ran to her room, banged the door shut behind herself and leaned against it, chest heaving. Oh Eru, please let him be alright. She knew him best as a noble of Doriath, as a well behaved and civilized ellon almost as chivalrous as the Ellyn she was used to from Tirion but she also knew that he was a fierce warrior and he could defend himself rather well. He had to be alive, he was her friend damn it, her best friend really. She already missed his jokes, so respect less and how they had shocked her at first. She missed his smile, the way he would give her strength to keep her back straight when someone made some hateful remark about her family or did question her right to be there at all. She missed the hunting trips when he taught her about the local wildlife and the very landscape they saw.

She felt hot tears against her cheeks and sank to the floor, he had been her shield and she hadn't even realized that until now. She closed her eyes and choked a sob, he had to be alright, he just had to. She couldn't imagine how it would be to live there without him, she would be defenseless and would have to go to her brother for protection. She would rather die, her brother was a good person but too hung up in the customs of home. He would see it as his duty to get her a husband and she didn't want that. She wanted to be free, or did she? She couldn't see herself as wed to anyone, not anyone else than that tall sinda with the silvery hair and the gentle and yet strong gaze. She whispered to the darkness. "Oh Eru,bring him back to me, I will do anything, just bring him back whole and alive"

She remained sitting there in the darkness for a long time, remembering the first time she saw him. She had thought he was primitive and barbaric, clad in leather and he even wore some paint on his skin and yet there had been something about him that had drawn her eyes to him. He had such an energy, unbound and untamed and he didn't doubt himself. He was natural, what you saw was who he was, not some mask and to her that was like finding a fresh spring of water after a long drought. It awakened her curiosity and yes, he was handsome, very handsome in fact. She had to admit that to herself with a blush. The thought of him being alone out there somewhere, maybe wounded made her tremble. If he wasn't found by the morrow she would go looking for him.

The warriors had spread out along the paths leading back to the area from whence he had ridden and nobody saw anything unusual. Not even the animals had seen anything and as the night was drawing to an end and they had covered a rather large area it became apparent that the young ellon seemingly had vanished in thin air. Could this be a trick of the enemy? Had the darn noldor intruders kidnapped him? The sons of Fêanor were not alien to doing something like that. The speculations started becoming rather heated and Thingol was very worried now. The idea of his nephew in the hands of the enemy was horrible to say the least and he didn't leave the throne room, he just stayed there, afraid of receiving the worst news possible, that his protégé had been slain or was alive in the hands of the enemy and could be facing horrible torture there and then. Melian didn't speak much, her face revealed nothing and she just sat there, but she was in fact busy. If their feelings were real her magic would do the rest. All they could do now was wait.

The darkness was pleasant, warm, almost fuzzy and he didn't want to leave it. It felt comfortable and he felt safe too. It was odd, he didn't really remember anything, it was all dark and strangely enough he felt like he was floating. Then a sensation of weight started to return and he felt his body once more and it was far from pleasant, his hands and feet did ache and he tried to return to that dark warm safe place but he couldn't. Odd scents entered his nose and he heard sounds he didn't recognize and then he remembered. He let out a small yelp and tried to open his eyes. The eyelids felt as if they were wrought from lead and he felt how fear suddenly filled his body with adrenaline. He couldn't move? The extra boost gave him strength to force his eyes open, a soft light flickered and he saw that he was in a sort of room and he lay in a bed which was almost too short for him. He was wrapped in warm blankets of some type of fabric he never had seen before and someone had obviously taken care of him for he remembered having fallen asleep in the hay of that odd stable.

Eru, he had to have been worse off than he had believed. He turned his head, the room was rather large with some beautiful but strange furniture, he didn't know how it was made at all. A sort of desk stood on one side and on the other side was a bookshelf with a lot of books. The smell of the room was very different from what he was used too, it was so…closed. Like a room which haven't been used in a long time. He felt the ache in his feet and knew he had been badly frozen, they had thawed him whoever they were. They couldn't be hostile then, he had been taken well care off and a strong smell of peppermint oil reached his nose when he squirmed and the blankets moved.

Oh Eru, Rochiril, was she alright? He had to check if she was alive or not. He tried to get out of the blankets and immediately he felt so dizzy he was afraid he would go sick. He moaned and relaxed again, damnation, he was as weak as an elfling. There was a window on one wall, so huge and square and a pale light did slip through the cracks in the curtains covering it. He heard little, no sounds of people or anything until he suddenly heard a sort of growling noise that had to be mechanical. Then he heard distant whinnying and footsteps in snow. He felt his heart speed up, nervous energy made him sweat and he wanted to hide. Who and what were these who had obviously rescued him? He held his breath as he heard distant voices through the walls, then he heard footsteps and he was clinging to the blankets. He was in no shape to defend himself at all, but they had helped him hadn't they?

The door opened and in walked a human female and a male, both had the same dark blonde hair and soft blue eyes and he did see a younger female behind them, with blue eyes and brown hair. He had never seen such garment on anyone before and he swallowed and stared at them with huge eyes, what now? The male and the adult female had to be siblings, they did look pretty similar and had some of the same scent too and the young female had to be the older females daughter, she did look very excited and the adult female smiled but it was a nervous smile She sat down on a chair made in a strange design and held her hands visible as if to show him she didn't mean any harm. He swallowed again, darn, his throat was so dry and he felt terribly thirsty all of a sudden.

"Do you understand me? I am Johanna, this is my brother Vidar and my daughter Kirsten."

He blinked in confusion, he did understand? That was impossible for he didn't know the language at all, and yet he did know what she was saying, he just didn't know how to answer properly. "Im…Im Celeborn"

He couldn't be impolite, they had given him their names and so he ought to show the same trust and give them his. The female smiled, she was over her first youth but her age was hard to tell, he wasn't used to mortals at all but maybe her early forties? The young female wasn't yet quite fully grown. The tall male was impressive looking and he had a faint scent of cow? He wore a short beard and Celeborn could see that he had a very muscular body, he was a strong man. The woman who called herself Johanna was rather petite and small but she too did look strong, like someone who works a lot. He liked that, working people were honest people.

Johanna smiled carefully. "You were in the pond? The river?"

He nodded, remembered the horrible cold. "Rochiril?"

He tried to sit up and realized that he was buck naked, oh Eru! He blushed violently and cringed and the woman looked apologetic. "Rochiril? What does that mean?"

He made a whinnying sound and the man named Vidar smiled. "Ah that lovely mare of yours, she is alright. We have managed to get the heat back into her and she is up and eating well. Worry not, I have given her some medicine just to make sure she isn't getting ill. How did you end up in the river?"

Celeborn swallowed hard, made a sound like the thing they had encountered which had scared the mare so and the man frowned. " Oh, a train? You saw a train. No wonder you ended in the river, even our horses can be spooked by a train"

A train, that was the word for that long horrible noisy thing? Celeborn just stared at them and the woman got up and walked over to the desk. A sort of flask stood there and she poured something into a cup. " I bet you are thirsty?"

He nodded, suddenly desperate and she walked over and helped him sit up. He stared at his hands, they were covered with ointment and did stink of peppermint. "That helps restore blood circulation"

He took the cup with trembling hands and sniffed it, it was some sort of tea, and it smelled sweet. He took a careful sip and it was wonderful, so warm and tasty and he drained the cup almost too fast. He coughed and she smiled, took the cup from him. "Careful, I will get you some food soon"

Vidar was leaning against the door and Kirsten sat on a chair in the corner, she looked very curious. "Look, not to be unpleasant but you are an elf right?"

He nodded, they knew of elves? Maybe there was hope to return home? She tilted her head. "You are forever young? And won't die unless killed?"

He nodded again, feeling a surge of new energy. Kirsten grinned. " I told you so, I am right."

Johanna just smiled and left the room, Vidar tilted his head. "You did a great job getting that mare of yours all the way from the river, it must have been a tough job, even if you are…not human. But you were almost frozen to death and we had to put you in a tub of hot water to reheat you."

Celeborn sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, that was why he was naked? Oh, he had taken his wet clothes off, that was why. Had that woman seen him naked? Not that he was shy but it felt…wrong! Vidar smiled, a comforting smile. "Johanna and I washed you and got you to bed, I know how to deal with injuries, I have worked as a paramedic."

Celeborn frowned, he didn't know that word but he guessed that it had to be some sort of healer. He bit his lower lip, he was still thirsty and he felt dizzy still. Johanna returned carrying a sort of tray with a bowl and another cup and she placed the tray on a sort of holder and put it onto the bed. It was like having a small table in bed and he stared at the bowl. It contained some sort of soup, it was hot and did smell divine. A metal spoon lay next to it and the cup contained milk. He grasped it and emptied it in one go. "Oh my, you are very thirsty aren't you? I'll get you more"

Johanna left and returned after a few moments with a jug of milk and it was cold and just wonderful. Vidar grinned. "Relax, as soon as you are better we have stronger stuff too, if you elves drink such things?"

Celeborn nodded with some uncertainty. Did the human mean wine? He was fond of wine. He took the spoon and tasted the soup, oh Eru it was good. Some sort of vegetable and meat soup and he felt how his stomach felt completely empty right now. He ate but tried to remember his manners and the adult woman seemed to like the fact that he ate that much. " I have more, much more, just eat"

He didn't want to become a burden but these people had so many strange things and they didn't seem poor at all. Maybe it didn't matter that much that he ate a lot of soup? He finished the bowl and suppressed a burp, feeling slightly shocked by himself. Vidar just smiled, the human seemed very friendly and Celeborn relaxed a bit. These were good people, he just sensed that. Johanna took the bowl and left, returning with yet another one and Celeborn managed to finish that one too but then he felt sort of stuffed and oddly sleepy. Kirsten was staring at his hair and he suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. "Damn, you have nice hair, wish I could grow mine that long!"

He had to smile, the girl was like every young one, even young elves. Vidar removed the tray and the bowl. "You have to stay in bed for a few days I think, I bet you are unable to get sick but you were rather frozen and in a bad condition. Johanna may have some clothes here you can use, her husband was also tall, although not as tall as you by far."

Celeborn blinked, was? Ah, so the woman was a widow? That explained that there was no husband present there. He sort of felt sorry for her, but he didn't know how these people dealt with that sort of situation at all. He stared at the clothes the male wore, some sort of pants made from a rather thick blue material and a sort of sweater? It was obviously very warm and he seemed to have an undershirt underneath it. The females wore something rather similar and he was a little confused. Didn't the females here wear skirts or dresses? Perhaps the genders wore the same sort of clothing? Vidar sat down on the chair Johanna had used and he looked curious. "I really wonder if all your horses are as nice as your mare, if that is the case you are most fortunate"

Celeborn remembered the strange stocky horses and had to smile, they had looked rather unusual but it couldn't be the only breed there. The huge stallion was very different. Kirsten got up. " I have got to go, have homework."

Vidar nodded. "Yes, but remember, not a word about our guest tomorrow, understood?"

Kirsten nodded. "Of course not, do you think I am stupid?"

Vidar shook his head. "Of course not dear, but it is easy to have a slip of the tongue"

She just pouted and left the room and Celeborn felt a sting of worry. Vidar sighed and sent him a gentle smile. "Your kin is just legends here, and fairytales. But if someone found out that you are real, and here, some people may want to examine you to find out how you function, and they won't be that nice. So we have to make sure you stay hidden here"

Celeborn felt a quick sensation of fear, he sort of understood what the human meant, and he could sense the man's sincerity. Vidar tried to smile soothingly" But don't worry, you are in a peaceful country where people usually are rather nice, there are worse places in this world, much worse places."

The elf nodded and rubbed his hands, he felt that his hair was unbound and unkempt and he felt a bit uncomfortable. He dragged it forth and tried to finger comb it, it hadn't gotten tangled but it smelled differently than usual. They had to have used some sort of soap to wash him? That made him remember the scent of Artanis hair and his heart sank in his chest again. He suddenly missed her so bad it made him cringe and he gasped, would he ever see her again? Vidar frowned. "Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

Celeborn shook his head, he didn't know how to explain his emotions and he blinked to avoid tears from filling his eyes. Vidar cocked his head. "Homesick?"

Celeborn nodded and made a grimace. Vidar sort of smiled, a soft expression within his eyes. "Missing someone in special perhaps?"

The elf could only nod again and the human sighed. " I have no idea how you have ended up here, and to be honest I have no clue about how you return to your own place, it is way beyond me. I am just a humble dairy farmer, not a scientist or mage or anything like that. But have hope, most times things happen for a reason."

Celeborn just sighed and tried to force his sense of depression away. Vidar smiled. "Cheer up, I am sure you will be reunited with whoever it is you miss that much."

He got up and walked over to the huge bookshelf. Celeborn started to wonder if these people were rich for back home few owned books, books were very expensive. He picked out a few books which were rather huge and placed them on the bed. Celeborn stared at them with huge eyes, the images on them were not paintings? But they did look so real! And the surface was slick and shining and he didn't understand at all. He touched one of them tentatively and it was smooth, unlike any parchment. Vidar nodded. "You may touch it, it doesn't bite. We have other technology than you I bet. But a book is still a book yes?"

Celeborn nodded but he felt uncertain, what sort of material was this made from? How could images look thus? The front cover of the book showed a mountain and it was as if you could just reach out and touch it. Vidar smiled and opened the book. "These are images from this country, they are called photographs and we use a special sort of mechanical device to make them."

Celeborn nodded slowly and stared at the images, they were wonderful. Before long he was very busy admiring the landscapes and he was in awe of what he saw. Vidar explained and told tales and Celeborn sort of relaxed and forgot about his worries. Then after a while he felt that he indeed had been drinking a lot, his bladder started to tell him it was full and he squirmed and started feeling a bit uncomfortable again. Oh no, how did he explain this, what did these people do to relieve themselves? He didn't see a chamber pot and he felt very uncertain. He didn't want to break any sort of taboo and he choked a moan, now that he was aware of the problem it felt rather bothering and he bit his lower lip. Vidar frowned. "Are you alright? You look a bit bothered?"

Celeborn sighed and swallowed his pride, he was blushing like a beet but made a gesture towards his nether regions and pretended to be looking for something. Vidar looked confused, then he obviously understood for he smiled. "Ah, you need to do your business, no wonder, you drank a whole jug of milk."

He pointed at a door next to the one he and the two females had entered through. " In there is a bathroom, with a toilet. Oh damnation, you don't know how to use that now do you?"

Celeborn felt like a moron. "Toi-let?"

Vidar sighed. "Right, I did work at a local hospital for a summer, I am used to handling uncomfortable situations."

He got up and held out a hand. "Here, you need something to support yourself on. I guess I am as good as anything else."

Celeborn hesitated, then he took he hand and allowed the human to hoist him up very gently and the world was swinging in front of his eyes but as he got up into a more normal vertical position he felt better and managed to balance himself even though his strength was gone. Vidar put a hand around his waist and Celeborn had to lay his arm over the human's neck and he held the blanket tightly around his waist as the human sort of manhandled him through the door. The room on the other side wasn't that large but Celeborn had to stare. It was covered with light grey tiles and it held a huge bathtub which had to be made from some sort of hard material he never had seen before, it did look shiny and clean and it was white. A sink was placed on the other wall with a huge mirror over it and he gasped and had to touch it, a mirror that large? It had to be very expensive! And it was flawless, not even a small distortion of the image! How did they make that? Oh Eru, he did look like crap, grey faced and his hair looked like a mop and he had blue circles under his eyes. The toilet was placed next to the sink, it was some sort of contraption made from the same material as the tub and he didn't quite understand until the human lifted a sort of lid off of it and revealed a bowl with water in it. Vidar pretended to be sitting down and made grunting sounds and then he grasped a roll of some sort of soft material hanging next to it and made a gesture as if to clean himself and threw the paper into the bowl. So this was how these humans did their business?

Vidar got up and looked a bit embarrassed. "So, I'll leave you to it then, just call me if you need help. And when you are finished pull the black lever on the top"

He closed the door and Celeborn stared at the contraption with narrow eyes, they had to have a lot of water if they could waste it like that. The privies in Menegroth were made way simpler than this and he dropped the blanket and sat down, very nervously. The ring you sat on was very cold and he almost yelped but it wasn't uncomfortable and he relaxed and did what he had to do, it felt divine and he sighed with relief. He didn't have to do anything except emptying his bladder but now he knew what to do when that other sort of natural process made itself needed. He got up and shook himself and then he pulled the lever and then a lot of water rushed forth and washed everything away, it was ingenious really, but where did the water come from?

The strange lights was yet another thing he didn't understand, they seemed to be everywhere and made no heat but lots of very bright light and he didn't recognize even half of the materials he saw there. He got the blanket back around his waist and opened the door, the human was back on the chair but got up. "Are you able to walk?"

Celeborn nodded. He could walk but he felt very unstable and when he reached the bed it was with a sigh of relief. It was a very comfortable bed, very soft and the pillow and the blankets were nice too. He tucked himself in and Vidar showed him yet another book. It had pictures of animals in it and before long the elf was immersed in it, completely fascinated by the many species he saw there.

It got dark outside and Johanna returned with a basket which contained clothes. Celeborn eyed them with suspicion but he knew that he couldn't just sit there with a blanket around his mid section forever. Vidar showed him what to wear and how to wear it and he was actually pleasantly surprised by how comfortable everything was. But most of the garments were a bit small and so he kept only what they referred to as boxers and a t-shirt on. Johanna said she would get him larger clothes the next day and he felt grateful but also humble. They really were very nice people.

Then she brought a tray of food and he discovered that he in fact was hungry again, it was some kind of bread with a type of jam and it did taste very good. He ate it all and felt a bit guilty afterwards, he didn't want to become any sort of a burden and promised himself that he would repay them in whatever manner he could. Vidar had to leave, he said he had work to do and Johanna brought Celeborn a sort of comb and some flexible bands probably meant to wear in your hair. He did see that she had her hair trapped in some of the same type and he started with the task of untangling his long locks. It took a while and then he braided it and secured the braid with one of those things. It worked just fine and he was yet again in awe of the ingenuity of these people.

He sat there slowly going through the books Vidar had shown him and Kirsten entered bidding him a good night. It was getting late so Johanna too stopped by and told him she would wake him up in the morning for breakfast before she went to the stable. Celeborn didn't feel like sleeping so he remained sitting there with the books and he felt alone, very alone even if he knew the two females were in the house with him. He tried to keep his mind busy and went over to the bookshelf on wobbly feet. There were so many books! How come they owned so many books? They had to be fond of knowledge. Some just contained text and he didn't know the alphabet nor the language so he didn't bother with them but there were plenty of books with pictures in them and he picked a few out of the shelf. He did spot one on the top shelf, it was rather large and he pulled it out. The front cover was a drawing of some kind, of an odd looking couple. It had to be a very old drawing for the style was strange, it made him grin.

He opened the book and then he didn't grin anymore, he just gaped. Inside were pictures of couples, and they were…! He slammed the book shut, gasping. Then he slowly opened it again, what in Eru's name was that? There was text next to each image and the images seemed to show different positions but how on Arda could anyone even move like that? He turned the book around, nope, that wasn't physically possible unless…. He turned the book again, tried to imagine being in that position. Right, it was in fact possible but darn, it had to hurt! He swallowed hard, suddenly he got a very unwelcome image in his head, of himself and Artanis being joined like that. He shut the book and shoved it back into the shelf, Eru's mercy, he was such a pervert for even thinking about her thus. It was so wrong! But then, it was also very tempting and he couldn't help but think about her creamy skin and silky locks of hair and he had to groan. He was suddenly hard and had to sort of limp back to the bed. He was an idiot, she was so pure and wonderful and so above him, she would become furious if she ever found out that he had been thinking about her thus. But the idea of her in front of him, bending over with that perfect rear pressed against his groin…. Morgoth's damnation, this didn't help him at all. He tucked himself into the bed, picked up a book with images of cats and dogs and forced himself to concentrate upon that instead. Then he hit the button Johanna had shown him and the lights disappeared and the room became dark. Great, he needed that, darkness. He didn't need to sleep but he ought to do it still, just to pass the time. After tossing around a while he did manage to fall asleep and the room fell silent.

He woke up slowly, feeling sluggish and he yawned and stretched himself. Then he cringed and gasped, oh no! He lifted the blanket and stared down. He was wearing that soft garment and yet he did recognize the cold sticky sensation. Aw crap, of course! With the sort of thoughts he had been harboring before he went to sleep he ought to have anticipated this. He groaned and swore yet again, the only good thing was that he felt stronger. His legs were able to carry him and he got up slowly and made his way towards the bathroom. If he hadn't been wearing the boxers he would have soiled the sheets, so he was glad he had agreed upon wearing something in bed. He pushed the button close to the door and the light went on, he sighed and found a piece of cloth which lay on the sink and wetted it. He washed himself swiftly, feeling terribly embarrassed. This hadn't happened to him for many years and he kept blaming himself for being such an idiot.

The garment was of course wet and sticky and he got it off, there had been several other like it in the basket and so he found a new one but what to do with the dirty one? He filled the sink with water and tried to wash the worst of the sticky liquid out of the fabric, then he hang it up to dry on the tub. At least he had done something useful. He walked back to the bed and sat down, depression sank onto him. He was in a different world damn it, how was he ever to find a way back home? He would fade if he couldn't return to his home, and to her. There was a huge empty void in his chest and he bit his teeth together and swallowed a whimper. What now?

He heard footsteps and managed to get a grip, tried to smile as Johanna opened the door. "Good morning, feeling better?"

He nodded, swallowing his sense of being lost. Johanna smiled. "That is great, I have to get Kirsten to school, then I will make some breakfast and then we can visit the stable if you feel up for it?"

Suddenly he felt eager again, he had to see how Rochiril was faring, and he had to learn more of those odd horses and that great stallion. He grinned and nodded and she smiled again. "Great, I will get you some clothes too, I will drive Kirsten to the school and drop by a clothes shop while I am at it. I will be back soon. "

Celeborn nodded and she pulled the curtains away from the window, revealing a winter landscape that was very beautiful with snow covered forest and hills. The window was in the direction he had come from and he sat there staring out, wondering where she was now, and if she missed him.


	3. The state of my heart

Chapter three: The state of my heart.

The daylight came with grey clouds and even more rain, but it wasn't as hard as before and by now almost everybody within the city knew that Celeborn was missing. The king was apparently calm and collected but everybody could see that he was very worried and the queen was looking like a clam, no expression could be seen on her face but that wasn't all that odd. She hid her thoughts and feelings rather well that one. By now many had volunteered to go out there and help searching for the lost prince and the officers had to stop most of them so the whole thing didn't end in utter chaos. Artanis stood by the gates, she held the reins of a small dun gelding and she felt her heart ache in her chest. She looked calm as ever but on the inside she was trembling.

She had spent the night praying and now she was tired and feeling rather terrible and yet she couldn't stay away. She had to see for herself that he really wasn't there, she would go through fire and water to find him. Already there had been some false alarms, someone had found a tunic and thought it was his but it turned out to be one a badger had stolen from one of the guards the previous spring. Someone else believed to have found hoof tracks but they were those of the recruits returning home and a huge patch of blood turned out to be the spot where a hawk had felled a rabbit. Every stone was turned, every tree searched and as Artanis rode out she felt a sinking feeling in her chest. If they didn't find him this day then the chances of them ever getting him back were slim. She just wished that she knew what had happened? Had he been stupid enough to leave the girdle? No, Melian would have sensed that for sure? Or had her attention been elsewhere?

Not knowing was the worst part of it, her mind came up with increasingly horrible scenarios and she whimpered and hid her shaking hands in the mane of the horse. She remembered a day by the nearby lake, he had been teaching her how to catch crayfish using torches and she had enjoyed herself immensely. He had made her laugh, but he hadn't required anything in return. She remembered too many eager suitors from Aman, they all wanted to impress her but they all expected something back. Some even believed that it would be easy to seduce her and they had probably never been that wrong in their long lives. She was no dainty flower, that was for sure. She was ready to fight for what was hers and she wouldn't quit searching until she found him, even if that meant searching until the end of Arda. That night by the lake, she had been sure he was going to kiss her on one occasion, he had been so close and she had prepared herself but he had just given her a quick peck on her forehead and said she was very good at aiming.

She had been ready to pretend to be insulted by a kiss, now she had to hide her disappointment of not having been kissed and she couldn't help but think of how his lips would have felt against her own. She had been kissed before, once. One of her suitors had sort of gone a bit too far and tried to plant a very wet and not at all very romantic kiss on her lips. She had squeezed her mouth shut and when he let go of her she had let him feel the full wrath of her right hand. He had never showed up again and she had been glad he didn't, good riddance. Her father was a bit worried she was too fierce, too independent. A lady ought to be demure and humble but she was far from that. Her mother did support her though, although rarely in the open. She had survived the Helcaraxe, she would survive losing him for sure, or would she? She was strong but you cannot build a fortress on sand, you need a solid foundation and he had been hers. She had to find him!

The search lasted through the day and everybody were drenched and miserable but kept looking. Brooks and rivers were searched, canyons and cliffs likewise and yet not a sign of him. The area inside of the girdle was huge and by now they had gone through every possible route he could have used on his way back, if he was in a hurry that was. Now they tried to search every route which wasn't that likely and it became apparent that they probably would have to move into the areas where he was less likely to be. Some suggested that perhaps his horse could have been spooked and have run off without him being able to rein it in and it could have brought him far off course that way. Others replied by telling how very loyal his mare was and how brave she was, and Celeborn was an excellent rider, he wouldn't have let his steed just take off like that. As the day drew to an end hope had left most of them, Artanis sat on her horse still, dripping wet and her long golden locks plastered to her back and dress. She felt like sobbing, but she couldn't. She couldn't really let them see how much this meant to her, she knew some already disliked her friendship with the prince and she was feeling afraid yet again. What if her brother came to retrieve her? She had nobody there to back her up if that happened? Oh this was such a horrible mess.

She sat there feeling rather alone when somebody rode up next to her, it was Melian on her milkwhite mare and she tilted her head and smiled, a gentle grin. "You do worry for him don't you dear?"

Artanis had to nod and Melian stared at her, the maia's eyes were deep pools of wisdom and Artanis wondered if she'd ever live to be even half that smart. "I wouldn't worry too much if I was you, he always lands on his feet now doesn't he? He'll be back before you know it"

Artanis had to hold her breath for a second. "Do you know where he is?"

Melian shrugged. "No, but I feel certain that he is alive, don't look so sad golden one, he will be back in your arms, as he is in your heart already"

Artanis had to gasp. "How do you know?"

Melian shrugged. "Oh I know a lot Galadriel, way more than everybody thinks. Do not waste what you may be given, don't hesitate and don't waste precious time wondering if a decision is wrong or right. Let your heart speak dear, for it always tells the truth"

Artanis swallowed, how did Melian know of that name, what he had called her on the day of their first meeting? But she guessed that the queen was right, she shouldn't hesitate. No, she wouldn't wait if he did return to them, she would tell him the truth. Melian reached over and touched her arm. "Return home, take a warm bath and have some wine, you deserve it. You are cold and exhausted, have faith."

Artanis managed to send the queen a rather sheepish grin before she turned the gelding and rode back to the gates, very slowly. The rain made it look as if the skies were crying and she felt like crying too, the feeling of her heart being clenched within her chest didn't seize, even by Melian's kind words. If she only had known for sure that he was safe!

Celeborn sat in the room for quite a while before Johanna returned, she had several bags in her hands and they were made from yet another odd material with horribly sharp colors and letters on them. He touched them and wondered and she smiled. "Plastic, the scourge of our time. It is handy but lasts almost forever and causes pollution and huge problems."

He frowned and she opened the bags. "I have gotten you some clothing, I had to get the largest they had. I am very glad the people working at the mall doesn't know me or else they would have become suspicious"

She put several garments onto the bed and he saw a couple of pants, some socks, more underwear, shirts and sweaters and some sort of jacket with a hood and some gloves. "It is cold now, you need something warm"

He had to grin, normally he wouldn't be troubled by the cold but he did understand her concern and smiled, feeling grateful. It had to be costly, most of it looked to be of a very good quality. He felt guilty yet again, for being such an extra burden. Johanna smiled softly. "You are way taller than my Oddgrim, or else you could have used some of his clothes. I have kept them still you know"

He pulled on a shirt, then a sweater and it was warm and soft and felt very comfortable. She helped him with the buttons in the neck area, he hadn't seen that sort of a thing before. She continued. "Kirsten was just five when he died, now she is sixteen so it has been eleven years."

She helped him getting the pants on, they were very alien to him too but he liked them, they hugged his hips and the dark grey color was nice. He managed to form a question. "How?"

She frowned, then she smiled again, that soft smile. "Oh you mean how he died? He was sick you see, he got sick just a few months before we got married, it was cancer. It spread and he fought it for years but in the end it was too strong and I lost him"

Celeborn had to swallow, he didn't know what cancer was but it sounded like something really insidious. She continued. "Some wonder why I married him, for already then we knew that he might not make it but when you love someone that doesn't matter. He struggled for almost six years before he let go, and there were few moments when he really was himself but those moments, oh how precious they were. They made it all worth it"

He saw that there were tears in her eyes and for a moment he felt almost ashamed for having witnessed her thus, it had to be hard being reminded of this. She wiped her tears away, tried to smile. "You know, if you do truly care for another person you cannot pretend not to, you cannot fake indifference. It kills the very soul in you."

He knew that, oh how he knew that. Even now he longed for Artanis with all of his heart and Johanna smiled, a wry smile. "You have someone special don't you? Oh I can see it in your eyes that you do!"

He had to blush and nod and she touched his hand gently. "Then tell that person how you feel for one day they may not be there anymore, and then it is too late. I have never regretted marrying Oddgrim, he gave me Kirsten and even if the years we got were few and hard and sometimes horrible I wouldn't change them for anything in the world. For I spent them with the one I truly loved, even if I lost him in the end"

Celeborn nodded, he understood and she sighed and smiled again, a smile that looked strained. "Oh look at me, spilling my heart like that, like a fool. Go on, get dressed"

He managed to get the socks on, then she helped him yet again with the zipper on the jacket and he found it very fascinating and had to open and close it several times. The boots were a bit large but with socks in them they did fit rather well and he grinned. He was feeling excited and Johanna tilted her head. "Great, if someone should visit here we can say that you are my Finnish cousin, everybody knows my mom has kin in Finland. I will just say that you don't speak Norwegian at all."

He didn't quite understand that so he just nodded and Johanna put on her own jacket. "Let's go then, follow me"

They left the bedroom and entered a long narrow corridor with many doors on the side, some had signs on them he couldn't read and there were some shelves here and there with decorative stuff. On one he saw one of those odd pictures, photos as they were called. It was a younger looking Johanna with a baby in her arms and next to her sat a thin man, he was smiling and looked happy but Celeborn could clearly see that he was ill. They exited the house and Celeborn had to hold his hand in front of his eyes, the light was so sharp and the snow made it even worse. Slowly he managed to get a view of the place in daylight. The house was rather large and the barn was huge too, a part of it wasn't even finished yet as far as he could tell, and the paddocks were nice and looked solid. The odd vehicles stood there and didn't move but he did walk around them in a wide arch, he didn't trust those things at all. Behind the farm were some flat areas that had to be fields and he saw some other wooden buildings where the forest began. The woods looked inviting but it was biting cold and he wondered how these people managed to make a living?

Johanna went over to the stable door and opened it and Celeborn hurried inside, the cold air did bite his skin and he was eager to see how Rochiril was faring. She stood in a different box now and she did look very well, she raised her head and whinnied when she saw him and he felt a rush of relief. She was alright, thanks heavens. He petted her and Johanna grinned. "She is absolutely gorgeous, and so well behaved. I do train horses as a living you see, and I do get horses brought here which are almost completely ruined. Some people should never have been allowed to own animals at all"

She went over to the three odd dun horses and put some sort of feed into their troughs. He followed her, intrigued by the odd look of the animals. "Name?"

The word was hard to pronounce, he somehow knew what it was and how it ought to sound but his tongue didn't quite cooperate with him. She petted the last one and scratched its flank. "They are fjord horses, we call them fjords. It is a breed indigenous to this country. They look small and mellow but I can tell you, there is some serious spark in these"

The three fjords were staring at him with gentle interest and he found that he liked them, even if he would look ridiculous trying to ride one, his feet would almost reach the ground. The great black stallion was another thing, that was a horse he would have loved to have tried. Johanna opened the door and went in, petted the bluish black coat. "This is Wotan, he is a crossbreed. I don't even know how many breeds there are in him but he is the apple of my eye. I trained him myself you see"

Celeborn was impressed, the stallion was very tall and he did look like a handful but the eyes were calm and the horse didn't appear to be nervous at all. She put some feed into the trough in this box too and gave the mighty neck one last pet. "I bought him as a three year old from some business man who wanted to make a sports horse out of him, he thought he could be perfect for jumping competitions but the guy failed to see that this big guy is too strong willed for that. He isn't suited for sports at all. Some horses are better off staying the way they are, he is one of them. Back in the old days I think he would have made an excellent war horse, but these days horses aren't used for that purpose anymore, thank goodness"

Celeborn just nodded. "Is pretty"

Johanna almost beamed. "Yes, isn't he? Many have asked to buy him but I have refused, not all have been happy about it though. They think they can use him to make money and get famous but it's only me who are able to handle this fellow."

The elf sensed the bond between those two, he understood that very well. He felt the same way about Rochiril. Johanna gave him a brush and he started grooming the mare, she relaxed and looked as if she enjoyed herself a lot and before long he was humming, thinking of the warm lazy summer days of his youth when he and the other young Ellyn had been chasing ellith, taking baths in the rivers and ridden the half wild horses of the forest until they got tossed off. It had been glorious days but they were so long ago now, things were different, more complicated.

He was braiding Rochiril's tail when he heard one of those odd horseless vehicles and Johanna put down the broom she had used to clean the floors, she did look puzzled. "Odd, I don't remember anybody mentioning a visit now."

She sent Celeborn a quick glance. "Stay inside, I don't want anybody seeing you yet"

He nodded and stayed in the box but curiosity got the better of him. Johanna took a peek out the window and swore. "Oh no, not that idiot again!"

Celeborn frowned and he went into the room where they kept the feed, there was a window there too, almost at roof level but he could peek out of it. Johanna went outside, met a man who stepped out of a vehicle that had parts in different glary colors. It didn't look pretty at all and what was hanging behind that protective shield of glass? Huge fluffy dice? Johanna seemed stiff, she didn't like this, he could see that on her body language and the man was going way to close to her. The elf didn't like the way he behaved at all. The man was short, just a little taller than Johanna and he had quite a belly and from what the elf could see a very receding hairline. The hair he did see was greasy and thin and long too, and there was an aura of self confidence around the guy which didn't match his looks at all.

Johanna obviously said something he didn't like for he seemed to spit on the ground and then he turned on his heel and took off, making the wheels spin on the snow. Johanna stood there for a moment, staring after the moving car and then she returned to the stable. Celeborn had hurried back to the box but somehow she knew that he had been watching. "You saw didn't you"

Her voice was tired and Celeborn nodded. "I did, angry man?"

She sat down on a bale of hay, chewing on a straw and her eyes were dark. "He is a giant piece of shit that one, he used to be rather handsome you see, boss among the young rebellious men. He had the fastest car, the prettiest girlfriends and so on but he isn't able to understand that things have changed. He thinks he is irresistible still"

Celeborn had to grin. "Orc"

Johanna frowned. "What? What is that?"

Celeborn made a grimace, tried to look menacing. "Evil? Ugly, stupid!"

She giggled. "Yes, that fits, he is an orc, for sure"

She got up on her feet. "My parents bought this farm from his parents you see, they were filthy rich and owned almost all of this parish but his dad made a very poor choice businesswise and lost everything and had to sell most of the land. They were wealthy still but no longer the social rulers of this area. Roger has never managed to get over that"

Celeborn frowned yet again. "Why? He bother you?"

Johanna grinned. "Oh that, he fancies me you see. He wanted me because I couldn't stand him even when he did look good, he is a self-centered asshole with an ego the size of the moon and I wouldn't have touched him with a pair of ten foot pliers. But he still thinks he can win me over and when I chose Oddgrim Roger almost went ballistic. I picked a sicko instead of him, who had everything, or so he thought."

Celeborn had to smile, put a hand over his heart. "Love"

Johanna nodded. "Yes, Roger hasn't got a clue about what love is. He is still surrounded by women but now he has to pay for them. He can't work cause he has convinced the local doctor he has a bad back so he gets social support each month and still he acts as if he has the biggest bank account around here. In fact he is broke most of the time. He is nasty, stay away from him"

Celeborn frowned again "Nasty?"

Johanna started folding horse blankets, her movements were a bit too energetic. "Yes, he cannot understand it when someone says no. He is so pissed at me for having rejected him even if it was seventeen years ago, Vidar has given him a fair amount of beating quite often and the local sheriff has put him in the slammer too on numerous occasions but it doesn't help. He hates me for not wanting him. He comes back every now and then, to blow of some steam, let me know that I still can change my mind, before he "comes back and gets me" as he prefers to put it"

Celeborn felt a sting of worry. "Threatens you? Violent?"

She nodded, her eyes were tired. "Yes, yes he does threaten me. And he does all sort of ugly tricks but we have no evidence that he actually is behind it. "

Celeborn suddenly felt how his old warrior instincts started to awaken. "Tricks? What?"

She sighed, her head low. "He did put water hemlock roots in the water trough we use for Vidar's cows, he lost four pregnant heifers that way. And he tossed pieces of wood with long nails in them into the paddocks one night. He probably wanted the horses to pierce their hooves on them. "

Celeborn felt a surge of sheer rage, what sort of bastard hurts innocent animals that way?

Johanna continued, her eyes sort of distant. "He did also slice open all the round bales Vidar had stored for the winter, if the plastic is torn the bales go bad and we cannot use them to feed the cows. We had to buy new ones, it almost left us with no money at all that winter."

Celeborn hissed and his eyes were getting rather dark but Johanna didn't see that. "He did also put up a thin chain between some trees across the path were I used to ride. I didn't go there that day but some young girl did and since it was dark she rode straight into it and she got it across her chest and broke her sternum, several ribs and also her back in two places. She will never walk again"

Celeborn let out a gasp, anger was seething in his chest. Johanna sighed, put the blankets up on the shelves. "And that is just a little bit of what he has done. He has even been inside of Vidar's barn and poured a bucket of shit in the milk tank so the milk had to be thrown away, that was several grand worth of milk going straight down the drain. You see, he hates Vidar for supporting me. I think Roger think I owe him something since my parents got the farm from his parents. In truth we owe him nothing at all"

Celeborn nodded, he had met some despicable orcs in his time but this human? Oh Eru, he did sound like someone Sauron would love to meet. Johanna managed to smile. "But don't worry, we will be alright. The sheriff is aware of the problem and if he does anything really rash there is a nice jail cell waiting for him."

Celeborn bit his lower lip. "Alone here, not good"

Johanna grinned. "Oh I have some weapons. Oddgrim was a hunter, he had a few rifles and a shotgun and he also liked archery so he had some bows too."

Celeborn had no idea what a rifle or a shotgun was but a bow? He got eager. "Show me!"

She grinned and took him by the hand. "Okay, lets go"

They re-entered the house and Celeborn followed her through another entrance. They entered a storage room filled with odd stuff he didn't know what was but at the back of the room there was a huge closet. Johanna opened it and inside was several bows and some odd quivers with arrows. He had never seen bows quite like that, they were not adorned in any way and shorter than he was used to but very strong and well made. He found them fascinating and Johanna smiled. "You can test them if you like. The field behind the barn is cleared of snow and I could put out a target if you like?"

He nodded and she smiled. "Great, just give me a minute"

She pulled some sort of huge wooden frame out from underneath all the stuff and it was marked with a bullseye in the middle. Together they carried it into the field and Celeborn got the string onto the bows and started shooting. He had never been among the best archers of Doriath but he was still pretty good at it and Johanna just gaped. "Oh God, you are more lethal with a bow than a sniper is with a rifle. That is insane!"

It was average shots the way he saw it but humans were probably not that good at this? He kept shooting and she returned to the house to do some chores. After a while Vidar came by and wanted to show Celeborn the cowbarn and the elf followed the man rather eagerly. He was getting very curious about this world and its inhabitants and how they made a living in such a cold country. The farm which belonged to Vidar lay some miles down the road and the men walked down there, Vidar didn't want to stress the elf by putting him into a car and Celeborn did enjoy the walk, with the thick jacket the cold was no problem and the air was clear and fresh. Vidar wore a thick jacket and a sort of hat too and thick gloves and Celeborn stared at everything with an almost childlike curiosity. The strange lines hanging from poles were used to transport something they called electricity and that powered everything there and somehow they got that power from falling water? He didn't understand but he was both in awe of and shocked by the ingenuity of these people.

Celeborn saw that Vidar seemed a bit thoughtful, he was not talking much and the elf cocked his head. "What wrong?"

Vidar sighed. "Johanna told me about that unpleasant visit, I am nervous and I am not ashamed to admit it. That piece of crap ought to be behind bars and he shouldn't be allowed outside again ever"

Celeborn nodded. "Stupid"

Vidar smiled. A rather wry grin. "Yes, he is very stupid. He cannot see the consequences of what he is doing. All he sees is himself."

Celeborn realized that Vidar indeed was worried. "Protection?"

Vidar scoffed. "We tried getting an alarm system but it takes more than half an hour for anybody to get here from the town, no point in it, it is only an unwelcome extra expense. And it wouldn't stop Roger at all."

Vidar did make a grimace. "Johanna did buy a dog you see, three years ago. A Rottweiler, it is a huge dog, rather menacing looking and they have a bad reputation but the dog was kind as a kitten, just very protective. That sort of kept Roger away for about a year but the dog suddenly died. The vet suspected that someone had been feeding him anti freeze, it is poisonous for dogs, very dangerous. It would be just like Roger to do something like that!"

Celeborn had to swallow. "Terrible"

Vidar nodded. "Yes, she haven't gotten a new dog, she doesn't want to risk another animal's life like that."

They reached the farm, it was rather huge with a white painted house and a long barn. Celeborn didn't quite understand how these buildings were made but he did realize that this place had some rather amazing materials and methods available. The barn was separated into different sections and Celeborn got shocked by seeing that the cows there were huge, much larger than the ones he was used too. They did look very different too and were not tied up at all but wandered around in their designated area as they pleased, ate and slept when they wanted to and a sort of machine milked them. Vidar called it a robot and Celeborn was almost convinced it was some sort of sorcery, and the amount of milk make him just gape. But the place looked clean and tidy and the cows had shiny coats and looked very happy and he even helped Vidar move some calves from one area to another. Vidar grinned. "You are good with animals, that is great. My father always said that you never should trust someone who doesn't like animals."

Celeborn just nodded and they finished the task and walked back to Johanna's farm. She was done making dinner and Kirsten had come home from school, complaining about some test she was having the next day and some guy who was so stupid he probably needed help finding his own ass. It was rather apparent that the girl had a weak spot for him. Celeborn had never tasted food quite like that, it was some sort of thin loaf of bread with meat and cheese on top of it and it did taste rather good. Johanna said it was "pizza" and that it came from a country far to the south. Celeborn liked it a lot and Vidar found some bottles of beer. Celeborn didn't like that beer that much, it was too dark for him but Johanna did find a bottle of wine instead and the wine was great.

Afterwards he helped Johanna bringing the horses inside, they had been outside for a while and she did ride two of the fjords for a while. She had them there for training, both were young horses she was supposed to break in for a client and the third one was a mare who had been in an accident and needed retraining. Apparently the mare had been hitched up to a wagon and been hit by a truck and now she was afraid of anything moving beside her. Celeborn was impressed, the small woman was unafraid and firm and yet gentle with the animals and he liked that. It was getting dark so they returned to the house, Kirsten had finished her homework and decided to introduce the elf to what they referred to as television. That almost sent the elf into the wall with shock but he calmed down rather fast and Kirsten did find a program about the bears of the Kodiak island. Celeborn was infinitely fascinated and sat there glued to the screen and Vidar returned from having fed the cows and he laughed. Later in the evening they watched an old western movie and Vidar did find a bottle of scotch. That was something the elf indeed did like and they sat there enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and the peace.

Celeborn wished that he could have shared this with Artanis, she would have been so fascinated by everything and he just hoped that he would return to her, soon. He missed her a lot, her seemingly haughty behavior which just masked her girlish joy of life and her ambitions which she could get very passionate about. He just hoped that she also missed him, and at the same time he knew that if she did his disappearance would have caused her pain and grief and he didn't want that. He was praying to the valar to bring him home, if they did he would grasp her and kiss her and he wouldn't care if the entire kingdom was watching. He felt like he was missing some important part of his soul, and that was no lie.

Kirsten went to bed, Johanna too and Vidar had to go home, he had a cow which could give birth any time so he had to keep an eye on her. Celeborn was left alone in the living room and he just sat there, staring at the flames of the fireplace. He finished his glass of scotch and was contemplating going to bed when he suddenly felt as if he was being watched. He didn't move at all, but he did feel that the sensation had to come from the small window on the short end of the room. It was almost covered with snow and in the darkness he couldn't see anything on the outside but he was sure somebody was out there. He pretended like nothing and put his glass down, then he turned the light switch and the room got very dark. The fireplace didn't give that much light and he walked over to another window, very slowly. He could see very well in the darkness and it was almost a full moon now. The night was very clear, no clouds were visible and so he did see that a figure hurried away from the house and down the road, in the distance he heard an engine start and it was no car, it wasn't that strong but he could hear the sound still. He had better ears than a human being. So someone was spying on them? Not good, not good at all. He felt nervous all of a sudden, almost scared. Were Johanna and her family in danger? He wouldn't let anything happen to them, they had saved him and welcomed him among them even if he was a complete stranger from a different world. He owed them a lot, and he was more than ready to fight for them, yes, if that Roger thing did come back with evil intent he would find out how a warrior of Doriath fights, and it would not be pretty but it would be efficient. That was an oath Celeborn was more than ready to swear.


	4. Through fire and ice

Chapter four: Through fire and ice

Celeborn didn't sleep much that night, he had a constant feeling of being alert, ready to fight and he couldn't calm down. When he finally did sleep he did dream of Artanis and he was running after her through the woods and yet he couldn't reach her at all. It was as if something was blocking him, stopping him from touching her.

He woke up to the sound of an alarm clock going off somewhere in the house and he heard the sound of water in the pipes, it had to be Kirsten who got ready for school. Johanna got up to and left for the stable and he didn't want to look like a lazy person so he got out of bed and put on his clothes. Johanna was letting the horses out before she mucked out the boxes and he helped her, it felt good doing something physical and he wondered whether or not he should tell her of the person he had seen outside of the house the day before. He didn't want to cause her fear and worries and yet he couldn't help it, he felt that she ought to know. He waited until they had finished the work and returned to the house for some breakfast. Johanna stared at him with huge eyes and she turned pale. "Oh no, what are we to do?"

Celeborn frowned. "I have no idea honestly, I heard an engine but it wasn't a car, it didn't sound like that car Roger used yesterday"

He was stunned by how fast he had managed to learn the language, now he could already speak although with an accent thick as porridge.

Johanna swallowed. "An ATV, a sort of four wheeled bike, many use them for you can drive them having only an ordinary drivers license. Fuck! He has got friends, some losers who look up to him as if he was God himself, it could have been one of them"

Celeborn nodded, he did understand. "Get Vidar"

Johanna nodded and found the telephone, it was yet another miracle of this world Celeborn didn't understand but apparently it let you speak with people who were far away. It reminded him of a sort of Osanwè, but a technical one. She spoke with Vidar for a few minutes and then she hung up and turned around. "He is coming, and he is going to alert some of the other farmers in the area that somebody is up to no good. They will keep their eyes open for sure"

Celeborn felt worried still, a deep gnawing feeling eating at his heart, they were in danger, and he knew it. He just didn't know how! This realm had dangers he couldn't even begin to understand and he took a deep breath and tried to calm down and think logically. If this had been a place he was to defend it would have been an awful position. It was isolated, there were woods close by and the open areas in front of the farm had ditches and mounds which could allow an enemy to approach unseen. Oh Eru, what were they to do?

Johanna tried to smile. "It may not be that bad, it could be that this person just tried to see if there were people present, we have had some problems with thieves lately. Some houses have been broken into and all things valuable stolen."

Celeborn sort of sneered, he took a deep breath. " I don't think that was a thief, I could sense it. The person was filled with anger, and hatred. No thief acts thus. It was personal"

Johanna nodded and grasped the phone again. She dialed a number and Celeborn could hear that a rather deep male voice answered, she explained the situation and there was a moment of silence before the person answered. Celeborn didn't understand the dialect of the person speaking to her, it was so odd and he did understand that the person was swearing a lot. He tilted his head and stared at her when she hung up. "What does –jaevla hæstkuk-mean?"

Johanna blushed up to her hairline. "Oh, that…uh, it is cussing, it means goddamn horsecock. It was the sheriff I spoke to, he is from the north and has a very…artistic language"

Celeborn gaped. "Your sheriff? And he speaks thus?"

Johanna just shrugged. "Yes, that was a mild curse, you wouldn't want to hear the words he will use if he is really pissed off. He is gonna send one of his deputies up here, to keep an eye on us"

Celeborn had to grin, a protector of the law who used such profanities could be a person people probably wouldn't want to mess with. Johanna cleared the table and smiled. "Today the farrier is coming, he is to put new shoes on the horses. He is the best farrier in this area, originally from Iceland and very skilled."

Celeborn just nodded and Johanna left him with some books while she did some house work. The house was warm due to this electricity and he found it rather wondrous. The books had images from different places in this world and before long he was immersed in it. Johanna had to explain a few things and then the farrier showed up and she gave him a cap to hide his ears. Yet the farrier did send him some rather odd glances and there was something about the man which told Celeborn that he for some reason did know that this "cousin" wasn't a human being. Afterwards Johanna started making dinner and Kirsten returned from school, they had a short day today and were allowed to return home after lunch. Kirsten told of an experiment they had done in the biology class which had gone terribly wrong and the school had smelled like something very dead and very decomposing for hours. They almost had to evacuate. And one of her girlfriends had apparently gotten a new boyfriend and that wasn't fair so now they weren't friends anymore.

Johanna grinned and Celeborn had to smile too, apparently youngsters were the same whether they were elves or human beings. The deputy did show up as they sat down to eat, it was a young man who looked fit and sharp and he was polite and asked a lot of questions.

Apparently he was new to this area and didn't know that much about Roger and his vendetta towards Johanna. She had to explain to him and Celeborn sat there and felt like a dimwit for Johanna had pulled his hair back into a sort of pony tail so it covered his ears and the deputy was constantly staring at him with an expression of mixed shock and admiration. Celeborn did suspect that this law worker did favor men and even though he had no problems accepting such things it was obvious that the deputy was trying to hide it.

The deputy agreed to stay in the barn during the night and he hid the car in one of the garages. Johanna felt a bit more at ease now since the deputy was armed and allowed to use his gun if the situation called for it. Celeborn did not feel more relaxed at all, and he went to the stable to spend some time with Rochiril. The mare was nervous, he could see it. She sensed something too and he petted the soft silky hide, she nickered and tossed her head and Wotan too looked upset. Celeborn bit his lower lip, he had to do something so he took the bow and the quiver and put it in his room. The deputy got some food to and hid in the hayloft where he could see the entire farm from the windows and Vidar too came and occupied the other guestroom. They spent the evening in the living room watching more TV and Celeborn felt as if his nerves were stuck on the outside of his body. It was very annoying to say the least. Vidar had brought his shot gun and Kirsten had realized that something was off, she was scared and Johanna had a hard time calming the girl down. If they had known of this before Johanna would have called the mom of one of the other girls in Kirsten's class and asked if Kirsten could stay there but she hadn't thought that far. Now they could only hope that Roger wasn't so stupid he did something for real.

Celeborn hesitated before he went to bed, he didn't want to sleep but he was feeling tired so he had to rest. He didn't remove his clothes, just his shoes and he laid there staring at the roof for a long time. Was she missing him? Did she think of him? He could only pray that they would meet again. His mind drifted off into reverie and he relaxed, hoping that nothing bad would happen this night.

Artanis woke with a start, she had felt terrible for the last days, they hadn't managed to find him and she felt that her hope of seeing him again was crumbling. She had wept a lot and the hollow feeling within her chest just grew and left her lethargic and weak. The word was already spreading that she was fading, and fast. She had never realized how serious her feelings were, how deep they ran. Now she couldn't deny it anymore, without him she was like a ship in a storm, without a rudder.

She sat up in bed, her heart beating so very fast and she felt dizzy and throughout her very Fëa she felt a horrible urge to get up and get away. Danger! He is in danger! She just knew it, wherever he was, she had to do something, now! She whimpered, panic surging through her and she tossed a cloak over her nightgown and just ran. She had to find Melian, now! She ran barefoot through the city and the guards stared after her in astonished admiration, her long golden hair flying and her bare feet made no sound against the rock. She rushed into the royal apartment, the guards didn't stop her at all and she saw that Melian sat by her weave and worked on an image of a white stag and an owl. The maia got up when she saw her and Artanis collapsed onto the floor. "He is in danger, I can feel it! Please, do something!"

Melian reached out and frowned, was something changing her plan? Yes, something had come up, something new, potentially disastrous. She nodded. "I will help you dear child, of course I will. It will demand a lot of me but something can be done."

Artanis sobbed. "Oh Eru, I have to see him again, or else…"

Melian smiled, a somewhat sad smile. "Or else you will fade, I know. I can send you to him, wherever he is. But be warned, it may be very dangerous"

Artanis looked up, hope shimmering in those lovely blue eyes. "Yes, do it, send me to him. I don't care about danger, I can fight"

Melian nodded and helped her get up. "You are not going in a flimsy nightgown and not unarmed. "

The maia snapped her fingers and some of her maids came running, she shouted some orders and they ran off, returning with clothes, or rather, a guards uniform with a thick cloak and high boots. "Get it on, hurry"

Artanis did as she was told to do, it felt odd standing there in pants and what she would consider light armor but if it was needed then be it. Melian gave her a short sword and a dagger. "I want you to find him and when ready I can get both of you back, but not before two days have passed. This takes a lot of my strength, I have to recover before I use that much power again"

Melian smiled to herself, two days ought to be enough. If they didn't do what was needed during that time they probably wouldn't at all. A little danger can jumpstart things and she hoped that her feelings about the young prince were right. He wouldn't hesitate if he got his beloved tossed straight into his arms like this. Artanis swallowed, she felt terrified but the overwhelming sensation of fear and alarm was still strong and she just knew that she would sacrifice everything just to know that he was safe and alive. Melian grasped her by the shoulders. "Listen, do not be afraid. Do not let anything throw you out of balance, you are stronger than you think, and if you do this well I am sure your future will be a glorious one."

Artanis didn't have time to think of what the maia was saying, a mild light surrounded her and she felt dizzy, she barely had time to let out a startled gasp before the world seemed to fall out from underneath her and everything went black.

Celeborn awoke with a gasp, he blinked and felt his eyes burn, and he had problems breathing. The room was dark but he could feel an abnormal heat and there was an acrid smell in the air. Oh Eru, the house was burning! He got up, found his shoes and got them on, grasped the bow in instinct and reached out to open the door. The doorknob was hot, it was flames on the other side of the door, he swore and turned to the window. He could see the flickering light of flames on the snow and his heart did drop as he saw several shadows which ran around, Roger had apparently brought all of his friends. Where was that deputy? He didn't have to wonder for long, one of the men out there dragged something out of the stable, it had to be the deputy and he was either dead or knocked out.

Celeborn felt cold, if they were ruthless enough to harm a servant of the law then they had no problems burning Johanna and her family with the house. He had to get to them, now! He bit his lower lip, then he ran into the bathroom, it was filled with smoke too and he was coughing but he found some towels and wetted them, tossed them over his head before he gathered all his courage and kicked the door open. He had never feared death but dying in a fire? That was not the way he wanted to go. The hallway was burning all over, and he ran across it and kicked open the door to Vidar's room. The man was unconscious but Celeborn managed to shake the farmer into life. Vidar blinked and coughed and his eyes went wide. "God, Johanna!"

They heard a scream coming from the second floor and Vidar threw some clothes on before they both ran up the stairs. Flames were reaching for them and Celeborn felt an odd chemical scent which made him nauseous. Vidar coughed. "Petrol, they must have thrown a Molotov cocktail through the front door"

They saw that the second floor was filled with smoke and Vidar crouched down. "Stay low, it is air left by the floor."

The heat was intense and Vidar kicked up the door to Kirsten's room. The girl was coughing and wheezing and she wore only a thin nightgown and some odd looking tights but Vidar threw a blanket around her and carried her off. Johanna's room was on the other side of the house, the front side where the fire had started and her door didn't budge. The heat had already managed to twist the walls and Celeborn cussed in Sindarin and delivered a violent kick to the door which broke in half with a bang. He felt anger raging through his body, this was a cowards deed, burning people in their own home.

Johanna laid on the floor, gasping for air and Celeborn grasped her and dragged her with him, he was way stronger than a human being and now that was a good thing. Vidar wheezed for air. "There is no way out, the front door is blocked by flames and those goddamn idiots are out there!"

Celeborn sneered. "The garage and the storage, it has a door doesn't it?"

Vidar fought for breath and Kirsten was trembling, her eyes huge and she was pale as paper. Vidar nodded. "Yes, but they will wait for us there, it is the only way out of the house beside the front door."

They could hear the sound of windows cracking in the heat and the smoke was getting thicker, Johanna couldn't speak and Celeborn knew that they all were in mortal danger now. "Vidar, I will create a diversion, there is a loft here yes? With a window?"

Vidar nodded. "Yes, but by God, you cannot…"

Celeborn sneered, grasped the bow. "I can, and I will. Don't worry, I am not human, I can survive things you cannot even imagine"

Vidar managed to nod. "I know, you should have been a pop sickle after that bath of yours!"

Celeborn shook Johanna, "Listen, get out and head uphill, into the woods behind the house. Hide there, don't let them catch you"

Johanna gasped. "Celeborn I…"

He nodded. "I know, just get out of here while you still can!"

Vidar coughed. "The hatch is in the roof outside of the kitchen, just pull it down"

Celeborn nodded and threw a swift glance at the small group of humans. He had come to care for them over these days and his life wasn't worth more than theirs now. He had his honor, the debt he had to them had to be repaid, they had saved him so now he had to save them. It was just fair.

He found the hatch by feeling his way along the roof and pried it open, jumped up. The loft wasn't that filled with smoke yet, it had dense walls and there were no openings between it and the rest of the building. It was cold and filled with all sorts of stuff and Celeborn ran over to the small window. It was not large but large enough and he managed to open it without a sound. On impulse he grasped a sheet from a cardboard box and tore a hole in it, pulled it over his head and against the snow it would provide him with some camouflage. He slid through the opening and heard the men laugh and shout, they hadn't noticed him for they were staring at the front door and the door leading from the garage and storage rooms. It was at least seven there and Celeborn felt that the cold air helped him focus, he had to fight well now. Vidar had explained these so called guns to him and he realized that even an elf can die if he gets shot with such a weapon.

Celeborn used the shadow thrown by the roof to his advantage, he got down from the roof easily and ran crouched down over to the small shed where they kept the fire wood. From that it was perhaps twenty meters to the building where they kept the tractors and other farming equipment and he waited for the right moment to strike. It came when some more windows exploded and he ran through the snow with a speed no human could hope to copy. He was behind the wall and nobody had seen him and he got a grim expression upon his face as he lifted the bow. He had to get as many of them as possible, fast!

Artanis gasped as she suddenly opened her eyes again, she was inside of a room of some sorts and it was filled with straw and some odd looking tack hanging from hooks. It smelled of horse and smoke and she heard horses whinnying, the sound told her they were terrified. She got up, confused and frightened and she pushed the door open, it was made from wood but looked so strange and she didn't recognize any of the things she did see. What was this? Where was she? She swallowed and saw that smoke was filling the air, the building was burning! Oh Eru, the horses! She couldn't let animals burn to death and she got out into the stable room. It wasn't like any stable she had ever seen but she did see one thing she did recognize, Rochiril!

Celeborn had to be there since his mare was there and she felt her heart leap in her chest. She heard voices outside, they sounded excited and a cold feeling seeped into her. Instinct told her that these were bad humans, they weren't trying to save the horses so maybe they had lit the stable on fire? She took a quick peek out through a strange window and saw another building and it was on fire too. It looked like a place where people lives and she realized that she had landed right smack in the middle of something very bad indeed. Where was he? She was so afraid and all made her feel utterly confused but she had to do something. There was a door at the back of the stable and it was not locked, she opened it, it was leading out into wide fields. There were nobody there so she was thinking fast and ran over, she tried to push open the box doors until she realized that they had to be slid to the side and she opened them all. There were three strange but cute horses there and a huge black horse beside Rochiril and she grasped the mare by the forelock and dragged her out of the box. "Run, take the others with you, run to the woods"

Rochiril neighed and the other horses did leave their boxes, even the great stallion. The animals rushed out past her and she shut the door so they wouldn't try to return to the stable. She ran along the wall of the stable, the wood along the roof and one wall seemed to be ablaze and soon it would be engulfed in flames. She crouched down beside a sort of barrel and stared at the men gathered in front of the buildings, oh Eru, she couldn't have come too late! Then one man fell with a scream, an arrow protruding from his shoulder and a few seconds later another one too jerked and fell, the arrow through his thigh. He is here! She felt her heart sing, he was alive!

Celeborn tried to neutralize the men without killing, but he had no idea of whether or not it was enough. He shot two and prepared to send off another arrow when there was a snapping sound and he felt the hard impact of a broken bowstring against his arm. Fuck! The bow was worthless now and he didn't have a spare string, the string had to have become too old and brittle and he tossed the ruined weapon into the snow. The men were shouting and some ran towards the building he was hiding behind, not good!

He just hoped that Vidar got Johanna and Kirsten out, they didn't have much time left before the men would shift their focus yet again. Celeborn loosened the knife he wore and bared his teeth. He jumped up and hid among the thick beams holding the roof of the building, few humans think that they ought to look up. Two men came running and they didn't look as if they expected any real resistance. They did stink of alcohol and he suspected that they had ingested some sort of drug as well. "Be careful, Geir said the guy was huge!"

So the spy had been a man named Geir, not Roger himself. Celeborn saw that they had lit the stable on fire and he swore to himself, how was he to save the horses too? Were these men insane? Surely the punishment for arson was severe even here? The two guys stopped, stared down at the bow in the snow and both looked too intoxicated to really be able to think. Celeborn took a deep breath and dropped down onto them, he knocked one out with a well-placed kick and the other one sort of roared and reached out to grasp him but he spun around and planted his knee in the man's groin. He fell like a log and his eyes were bulging. There was a loud bang and the sound of something whistling by and Celeborn spun around and sprinted along the wall, they were shooting and he didn't have that much cover now.

Artanis saw that two men ran towards the building from which the arrows had been fired and she got nervous, did he only have two arrows? Was something wrong? The two wounded men were shouting and yelling and laying there writhing and the two running guys were obviously very angry. Two of the remaining men had some sort of weapon and they seemed to aim for where Celeborn was. It had to be something very dangerous and she knew that she had to do something, but what? Her mind was spinning and in the smoke she thought she saw some figures sneaking out of the burning house, the men didn't notice it, they were focused on the building where Celeborn was hiding. He was drawing their attention away from someone who tried to escape the fire and she felt proud of his courage but also scared to the bone. The weapons made loud bangs and she saw a rock explode in the foundation of the building. Oh Eru, what to do?

Then she remembered her lessons with Melian, how the maia tried to teach her things she previously had believed to be impossible. These were humans, their minds were weak, they could be deceived easily. She took a deep breath, this was it. She would save him or die trying. With a gasp and a shiver she released every ounce of power she owned, forced it into a very powerful vision and sent it to the humans out there. The three men standing screamed, then they started shooting like mad, at things that weren't even there and bullets flew everywhere until they ran out of ammo. The men were yelling and screaming and Artanis was panting with fatigue. She had made them see a whole army of orc's and she had added a few balrogs and trolls, just to spice it up. Her heart was hammering and she felt how her head was hurting. She had never done something like that to so many people at once but she had removed the greatest threat to him.

The two wounded men seemed to have passed out and the three standing there looked utterly confused and also absolutely pissed off. She heard one shouting something about "Bad trip" and "wrong pills" and she grinned. She had in fact done something few others were capable of doing. She shouted. "I am here"

The answer came immediately, Celeborn shot out from beneath the house and he was moving with the grace and power of a huge cat. The men were out of ammo and gathered to protect themselves but it was not very efficient. They had never fought an elf before, that was more than obvious for he was simply playing with them. One of them took off to run and Artanis ran out from her hiding place and gave the stunned man an uppercut which made him hover in the air for a few seconds before gravity got the better of him and he fell down like a sack of potatoes. The men were knocked out and harmless and Celeborn came running over to her, embracing her so hard she feared her ribs would break but she held him just as hard and sobbed with relief. "Celeborn, amin mela lle, don't ever leave me again"

He gasped and kissed her brow, rocking her in his arms. "Never!"

They were interrupted by a scream from the woods and Celeborn got pale. "Oh Eru, that shithead isn't here among the others, fuck!"

Artanis looked confused and he tried to smile. "Listen, the people who live here saved me, and now they are in danger"

Artanis nodded. "Let's go rescue them"

They ran up by the burning house and into the woods and Celeborn gasped. Vidar lay on the ground with a huge gash in his head and he was deathly pale and Johanna sat in the snow next to him, she was clasping her stomach and blood was seeping through her clothes. Kirsten was nowhere to be seen. Celeborn fell to his knees next to her, the shaft of a knife could be seen between her hands and she was trembling all over. "Please, he took her, he took my baby"

Artanis did understand that a very wicked person had taken this woman's child and anger rose in her. Celeborn looked as if he was ready to explode with rage. "What happened?"

Johanna moaned." He was waiting behind a tree, he must have guessed that we would seek refuge in the woods, and he knocked Vidar over the head. And then he stabbed me and grasped Kirsten."

Celeborn swore and his eyes were dark. " I will go after him, Artanis, try to help them"

Johanna tried to smile. "Your girlfriend?"

Celeborn got up. "My fiancée, trust me, I will get Kirsten back"

Artanis had to blush, his fiancée. He hadn't asked her and perhaps she ought to feel a bit angry since he sort of took it for granted that she wanted to marry him but she did, so she just felt an odd bubbly feeling in her chest. Yes, she wanted this, more than anything. "I got the horses out"

Celeborn smiled, a warm and relieved smile. "Wonderful."

He put two fingers into his mouth and whistled and before long they heard hooves and Rochiril came trotting. He got up onto her back with an elegant jump and spurred the mare. Artanis swallowed, the woman was severely injured and she wasn't a healer but she could at least try. She smiled at the shivering woman and put her hands onto her belly. "Don't be afraid, I will try to heal the wound, just don't move!"

Johanna whimpered. "Vidar, you have to help him too!"

Artanis nodded. "I will, but you are the one with the most severe injury."

She closed her eyes, started to chant one of the healing songs Melian had taught her and she could feel how the woman's hröa did absorb the energy she called forth. She forgot about everything else, and kept chanting. She trusted that Celeborn would catch the despicable human responsible for this. She pulled the knife out and Johanna screamed in agony but the would did close itself up now and Artanis poured all of her strength into the healing once again.

Celeborn saw the tracks in the snow and Rochiril ran very fast, she had no problems dealing with the snow here since it was just powder and he had his sword ready. The horse made very little sound in the snow and he leaned forth and made sure that she followed the tracks. Roger couldn't have gotten far and soon he heard someone screaming and some angry roars. He already knew what that creep wanted, and he would rather die than to watch that sweet girl being violated by such a creature. Rochiril ran into a clearing just as Roger raised his arm to knock Kirsten out. He was trying to get her clothes off but luckily she wore a pair of very tight tights and she was squirming like mad. Roger didn't even have time to blink before the huge grey mare quite literally flew over him, knocking him over with her front hooves. The man hit the snow with a grunt and got up again, red faced and wild eyed and he saw that the rider carried a bloody sword and looked as if he was ready to slay anyone in his way so he used the little brains he had and ran. Celeborn was about to turn the horse to follow him but Kirsten wailed. "Please, don't leave me!"

He hesitated for a second, then he realized that the girl needed his help now, that son of an orc could be caught later on. He got down from the horse and embraced the trembling teenager and saw that Roger disappeared into the deep woods. If there was any justice in the world there were wargs in there!

Kirsten was in shock, coughing and wheezing and terrified and he got back onto the mare with the girl in his arms and rode back to the others. When he arrived Johanna sat on the snow, seemingly alright and Artanis was busy healing Vidar. Johanna let out a sob and grasped Kirsten, rocked her in her arms. "She is alright, the beast didn't have time to harm her physically"

Artanis swayed. "He will be alright too, he is strong."

Johanna gasped. "We all need a more help, the men down there, the sheriff has to take care of them, and we have inhaled smoke."

Celeborn tilted his head. "Surely your neighbors have seen the smoke?"

Johanna coughed again. "I hope so, the bastards cut the phone lines, I tried to call before I passed out. I bet they have disabled the cell phone tower too"

Celeborn nodded, they had planned this well and he wished that he knew what had triggered the attack but he had a suspicion. That Geir fellow had seen him there and perhaps Roger had believed that Johanna had gotten a new man, someone way better than he ever could become. They waited until Vidar woke up, he was swearing like a sailor and had a terrible headache but he was not in any danger now. Artanis was feeling very shaken, she did yet not understand anything and Celeborn explained to her as they walked back to the farm. She felt a deep gratitude to these people, they had saved her beloved and for that she would always honor them.

When they reached the farm the house was burned down almost to the foundations, the stable was just partially burned and there were plenty of people there carrying buckets, hauling hoses and just doing what they could to save at least some of the buildings there. A car with some striking colors stood by the garage and some men in uniform had handcuffed Roger's comrades. They all looked more or less like drowned cats for someone had chosen to hose them down to extinguish the flames of anger that had burned in them. A very large man with a huge beard and a hat stood there writing something down and the deputy laid on a stretcher, he was alive but probably rather severely injured. A car with very bright yellow colors stood there and some men in red and white were busy helping him. Celeborn realized that they were healers and some saw them and shouted.

Celeborn made sure that Artanis hair was covering her ears as they approached the crowd, she was breathing fast, scared by the cars and the sounds and all the humans but he held her hand, reassuring her that nobody there wanted to harm her in any way.

Johanna was barely able to stand and one of the healers rushed forth. "You are bleeding!"

She just waved her hand. "Uh, not anymore, it was just a scratch anyway. Don't worry."

She sat down and held Kirsten who were sobbing still and the sheriff came over, he did look very angry and Celeborn saw that the other men in the same uniform all carried weapons. "It was Roger wasn't it?"

Johanna nodded. "Yes, he…he tried to kidnap Kirsten, and rape her. My…cousin here managed to stop him"

The sheriff stared at Celeborn with narrow eyes, he did see a very tall and extremely handsome man who obviously were able to fight. "Where is he now, Roger I mean?"

Celeborn shrugged. "I scared him off, he was heading into the woods the last time I saw him. I hope he freeze to death!"

The sheriff grunted. "Yes, that would save the lawyers some work for sure. I spoke to one of the bastards just now, he said that Roger wanted the whole family dead, because Geir had seen you sir. If Roger couldn't get Johanna nobody else should either, that man is a giant turd if you ask me"

Artanis didn't understand the language, she just understood that they were speaking about the man responsible for this and she didn't let go of Celeborn's hand at all. It was warm and safe. The healers were a bit shocked. "You should have damage to your lungs, all of you should have problems breathing but your lungs are clear?"

Vidar was thinking very fast. "Yes, we got out fast, and we used some old gasmasks left from when Oddgrim was in the army. I think we dropped them in the woods though"

The sheriff was eying Artanis and Celeborn and then he winked. "Right, you know, my mother was from Ireland, and she did teach me quite a lot of their beliefs. We just say that you got away unscathed but these seven pieces of shit will face some serious charges anyhow. Arson is just the start of it, I think I can find some laws for just about everything they have done here, including lighting the stable on fire."

Johanna nodded. "Thank goodness we have insurance."

The sheriff nodded . "And thank goodness your "cousin" here can fight, he did a brilliant job"

Celeborn smiled and caressed Artanis hand. " My fiancée did also knock out one of them. And she saved the horses"

The sheriff bowed his head. "I take my hat off for that, well done"

Vidar stared at the stable, the damage wasn't that large for it had been built to be fire proof but there was some burned wood by the doors and along the edge of the roof. "That is easily fixed, some fresh air and a wash and the stable can be used again. The house on the other hand…"

One of the other people there came forth. "We will help you rebuild, that goddamn idiot has been a thorn in our eyes for years and Johanna has always been there for us when we needed help."

Johanna could only sob and one of the healers made a gesture. "I think you all better get indoors. Kirsten will need some counselling for sure and I bet that is the case for the rest of you as well."

Vidar nodded. "I have spare rooms back home. Let's go"

And so Celeborn and Artanis shared their first ever trip in a car in an ambulance and she was clinging to him trembling like a leaf until they stopped outside of Vidar's house. The neighbors would take care of everything, the horses included and it felt wonderful getting into a warm house. Some of the ladies of the area had showed up preparing food and getting the bedrooms ready and someone had called the school counsellor and the county psychiatrist to talk to Kirsten. She would have to get the experience out of her system fast, before it caused too many traumas. At the moment she was just angry and confused and they helped her vent those feelings in a safe manner.

There were two bathrooms in Vidar's house, it was originally made to house at least two families and so it was almost like two separate apartments with just a door between them. Artanis and Celeborn got one of them and she trembled and tried to comprehend everything she had been through. The bathroom was large, with a massive tub and a shower and it even had a small sauna connected to it. Artanis had to turn taps and push buttons everywhere and as soon as she got over her fear of new things she did feel an almost childlike joy exploring it all. And she felt relief, relief like never before. He was alive, and they were together and they were safe. She didn't care where they were, all that mattered was that he was there.

She got rid of the wet clothing and stepped into the warm bath, it felt wonderful and the soaps they had there did smell like summer flowers and she realized that these people had a lot of stuff which was even better than what they had back home. She was dozing when he entered the bathroom, wearing only a bathrobe which looked absolutely ridiculous since it was too short, pink and had two cute bunnies on the front. She had to giggle and he walked over and winked at her. "So you are laughing ha? Perhaps you should be wearing this awful garment?"

Artanis suddenly felt oddly bold, she took a deep breath. She had made a choice, now she would have to stand by it too. She stood up, completely naked and she saw that his jaw dropped and his eyes turned dark. They slid over her naked form and he swallowed hard. " I think I prefer wearing naught my love, at least when I am with you"

He let out a growl. Then the robe went flying and she was suddenly lifted off the floor and she was being kissed like never before. She eagerly answered it, clinging to him and he dropped her onto the bed and gasped. "You are so beautiful, so wonderful. I love you my Galadriel"

She grinned, laid her arms around his neck and played with locks of silky silvery hair. "And I love you my tall silver tree. I was so afraid I never would see you again!"

Feeling him this close felt rather overwhelming but she didn't care, it felt right and she remembered what Melian had said about not hesitating. He nodded. "Eru how I have missed you!"

He kissed her again, slowly this time, with a sort of languid joy and she let her hands slide down his body, felt how hard muscle and silky skin made her own body tingle in a very exciting new way. He gasped and closed his eyes. "Love, if we do this…there will be no way back, no way out of it. I hope you understand that?"

She nodded. "I know, I wouldn't want it any other way, I am yours"

He chuckled and she frowned. "What is so funny?"

He sent her a wry grin. "Imagine the scandal we will cause when we return, I have married a noldorin elleth, a relative of the kinslayers"

She just hummed and reached up, licked along the edge of his ear, slowly and deliberately and he hissed and tensed up. "You haven't married me yet"

He swallowed. "Galadriel, do you truly want me?"

She rolled her eyes, felt how ready he was and yes, she was a bit nervous but that had never stopped her before. "Do you think I would allow this if I didn't? Do it love, make us complete"

He kissed her gently, got into position and she wrapped her legs around him, feeling him push against her very core. "Oh my golden one, my light"

In the woods Roger had been running for a while, it was getting dark, and cold and he was furious. That huge blonde fuck toy of hers had stopped him and he was not going to let that pass him by. He would return and then he would kill that overly pretty asshole and do it slowly. A good thing Johanna was done for, she couldn't survive being stabbed thus. He walked on through the snow, his anger and madness seething within him and he didn't really care where he went as long as he got away from the farm. He had walked for quite a while now, the cops would probably send up a chopper and he wanted to hide before they got it in the air. There had to be somewhere he could use, a cabin or something. He was considering changing course when he suddenly saw someone moving up ahead. It was a woman wearing some blood stained clothes and by everything holy, it was Johanna!

How could the bitch still be alive? Shit, she was probably looking for him, well, he didn't want her back now, that was for sure. He growled and started to run after her and she obviously saw him for she started to run too. Roger was in horrible shape, before long he was panting and he was sweating like a stuck pig. But he didn't give up, he kept going and his beady eyes were fixed upon the running woman in front of him. He was so fixated that he didn't realize that he no longer was running through snow until she suddenly stopped and turned around. It was summer around him, damn it, what had happened? The forest didn't look like anything he had ever seen before and he felt insecure. In his case insecurity immediately sparked aggression and he snarled. "Did you do this you cunt? Just you wait and see, I am gonna get you for sure this time."

He pulled another knife from his belt and prepared to charge at her but then she changed. Suddenly she got a lot taller, and more slender. Her hair got long and black and she was paler than before and way more pretty. Her dress did look like one of those things those geeks who attended to renaissance fairs would use, and she did look majestic. Still she was only a woman and he licked his lips, a very beautiful woman, worthy of him. She smiled, a very cold smile.

"Welcome to my realm human, enjoy your stay for as long as it lasts. You are outside of my girdle now but never mind, this area is filled with people just like you, I bet they will find you delightful, and delicious"

She turned her back to him and simply disappeared and Roger stood there, gaping. What sort of hocus pocus was this? Some special effect maybe? He ran forwards but seemed to hit some invisible wall and he bounced back and growled. "Goddamn it, cocksucking cunt!"

He was about to try again when he heard the sound of something moving and he whipped his head around just to see that something had surrounded him. It looked as if some movie director was shooting a horror movie for these people were ugly! They wore nasty armor and had some terrible weapons and he felt a ghastly smell of rotten meat and feces coming from them. "Goddamn it guys, don't you ever bathe?"

One of them shouted something in a guttural language and rushed towards him and Roger had time to doubt his first assumption and lift the knife before a long black blade skewered him through the middle. He screamed once before he was down and he did have time to feel himself being literally torn apart like a piece of chicken heading for a salad before his soul left for whatever suitable place it was called to. Melian watched from behind the girdle, her eyes had an ominous glow and she smiled. "Regard this as a small wedding present my dears"

The room was dark now, and both lay there dozing in each other's arms. Their vows had been spoken, they had joined their bodies and now they were wed. Nobody could separate them now and Artanis sighed with joy and caressed the wide chest she was leaning up against. She felt sore, and a bit tender but that would pass. It had been both wonderful and a bit frightening to be that close to him and the connection formed allowed her to feel his emotions on a whole new level. He was as happy as her and that made her feel like the most lucky person alive. She just knew that they would have a very long life together and see both joy and taste great sorrow but their bond would be unbreakable. It was such a great feeling of safety in that. She dozed off and he followed her into the world of dreams, this night neither feared to sleep.

The next morning they were awakened by Vidar who banged on the door and they got dressed and went to have breakfast. Celeborn had to tell her what everything was, and she was hungry so she ate a lot. Johanna seemed to understand that something had happened between them and Celeborn blushed and took Artanis hand. "Uh, as of tonight she is no longer my fiancée, but my wife"

Johanna had to grin. "How wonderful, at least something good came from this malady"

Vidar was on the phone with a lot of people, some came to repair the phone lines, the cell phone tower had been toppled using dynamite and had to be rebuilt and the farm house had burned completely to the ground. Johanna wept when she spoke of it and Artanis felt so terribly sad for her. Every memory she had of her late husband had gone up in ashes and even to an elleth the obvious distress this caused was understandable. Kirsten was still in shock but she was recovering well and she gave Celeborn a long hug and thanked him for saving her. She was very strong that one, and would get over it pretty soon.

Late in the evening Vidar got the call he had been waiting for, from the insurance company. Since the farm had been lit on fire by arsonists they did get the money they needed to rebuild and then some and Johanna was yet again weeping. Before long they would have a home again. Celeborn and Artanis went for a long walk and he told her of everything which had happened and she told him of the happenings back home and both suspected that Melian had something to do with his disappearance in the first place.

When they got back they had dinner and Artanis was introduced to a dish called Lutefisk which was a local delicacy and both she and Celeborn discretely emptied their plates onto the floor where Vidar's dog with enthusiastic joy ate it all and licked the floor clean afterwards. Artanis declared that she never would eat anything like it again, it smelled like shit, looked like snot and had the consistency of a dead jellyfish and Celeborn had to grin and agree to all three claims.

That night they slept tight together and when the morning sun rose Artanis felt that they soon would be called back home. She felt the magic tingling in the air and they gathered their things and felt that they really didn't want to say goodbye to these kind people. Celeborn had saddled Rochiril and Artanis held the mare as Celeborn hugged Vidar and bid him farewell. Kirsten too hugged them both and smuggled a small bottle of a very expensive perfume into Artanis pocket and Celeborn wondered where Johanna was until she emerged from the stable leading Wotan by the reins. She walked over to them and smiled, tears in her eyes. "Celeborn, I know you aren't human, and you will live on when we are just dust and memories but you did save my daughter, and you did save me and Vidar too. You have been a friend to us, and that is so valuable. So as a sign of my gratitude do accept this gift!"

She handed over the reins and Celeborn gaped. "Johanna? You cannot, this horse is yours? You raised him!"

She nodded. "Yes, I did. But he isn't suited for this life, to be stabled every day and to be trained only when I have time to ride him, which I more and more rarely do. With you he will be happy, he will be cherished and admired and loved and that is what I want for him."

Celeborn had to swallow. "It is a royal gift you are giving me Johanna, and one I will treasure for as long as he shall live"

She stepped forth, hugged him. "That is all that I can ask for my friend. Please remember us"

He nodded, eyes feeling watery and Artanis was sniffing a bit, even if she hadn't had time to get to know them that well. "We will, do not doubt that"

Celeborn got up onto Wotan and Artanis mounted Rochiril and now a soft golden light seemed to spread around them. Vidar waved at them and so did Kirsten and Johanna and then there was a flash and they were gone.

Celeborn blinked and grasped onto the long black mane and he saw that they were in the woods close to the entrance to the city. Some guards did see them and shouts were heard, filled with disbelief. He did look at her, eyes soft and filled with love. "Are you ready meleth?"

She nodded. "I am ready as ever. Tell them all that I now am your spouse"

They rode forth and Mablung came running, he stopped and stared with huge eyes. "Celeborn, where in Eru's name did you get that horse?"

Celeborn slid down and patted his friend across the back. "That my friend is a long story, best told by the fire with a glass of wine and a plate of stew. Now, allow me to introduce my wife!"

Mablung was gaping and Artanis had to laugh at the flabbergasted expression upon his face. He did look ridiculous and she giggled and offered her husband her arm.

That evening a huge feast was thrown to celebrate Celeborn's return to them, Thingol first blew a fuse hearing of the wedding, then he reconsidered and welcomed her into the family with a bear hug that left Artanis breathless and Melian stood there and looked smug the whole time. Nobody should ever try to convince them that she didn't have anything to do with it. Some were very negative at first but slowly most sort of accepted that the love between the two was real and there were few elves causing problems. Her brother was a bit shocked to say the least but he did send his congratulations and some gifts and so did the rest of her family. Celeborn did ride Wotan when he was out on patrol and the horse did smell orc miles away and warned his rider, he even fought like Celeborn did and the orcs they encountered soon believed the huge black horse to be a demon of some sort and they feared it like the very plague itself.

Some scouts came across the remains of a human being just outside of the girdle, it had some odd boots on but they didn't bother with burying a skeleton and it did stink so they just left it there for nature to reclaim it. Some mice ate the bones to get calcium and so Roger at the end did do something good.

Celeborn often thought of the days he spent in that other world, and the miracles and horrors he had seen there and somehow it had made him less haughty, more humble. It did definitely turn him into a more considerate and patient person and Melian just knew that when the day come it would benefit him, it all would. Her plan had worked so far, she just hoped that she by creating this union years ahead of time would accomplish what she wanted. To save their people from the disasters which were bound to come, but only time could tell and as of yet that was something of which they had plenty. In the years to come their union would solidify and become unbreakable, it would be needed, yes, it would be more than needed.

Melian watched the two sitting by one of the fountains, quietly discussing something and she smiled, a thin and pleased smile. Galadriel, the golden one. It was such a suiting name, and she would never know how much of herself Melian allowed the young and brave elleth to absorb when they were training. She would protect and stand up against evil when Melian no longer would be there, and in the end all would be well. The maia turned around, disappeared into the shadows without a sound and left the two lovers alone, soon their time would come.


End file.
